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HOBART CHURCH, ONEIDA. WISCONSIN 
Corner-stone laid in 1886; Church consecrated in 1S97 



THE 


O N E I D A S 


* :*•; 


By 


J . K . BLOOMFIELD 


AUTHOR OF 


"glenwood'', "'paying the mortgage', etc. 


NEW YORK. 


ALDEN BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS 


1907. 



* ■ ft <• 



lUBSARYofCONSRESSj 
Two Copies Hecei»(>: 

JAN 22 1908 
Qopyrifnt *j*xy 

..lass^ xxc. a». 

\<2.CI 3<fS 
' copy's. 



Copyright 1907 

BY 

J. K. BLOOMFIELD. 



<* 



TO 

THE ONEIDAS, 

and their many loyal friends, of the past as well as of the- 

present; and 

IN MEMORY OF BISHOP KEMPER 

who so ardently desired their history zvritten; also 

TO REV. F. W. MERRILL, 

for ten years Missionary among the Oneidas, who again 

has urged and inspired the writing, this work is most 

affectionatclv 

DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 

In undertaking this work for the Oneidas there have 
been three great difficulties to contend against. Ad- 
vanced years, confirmed invalidism and inability to go to 
Libraries to look up records of these Indians. Friends, 
however, have been exceedingly kind in bringing me 
books of value from which to cull notes. Among them 
I would mention indebtedness to: "The League of the 
Iroquois" by Lewis H. Morgan; Col. Stone's "Life of 
Joseph Brant"; Clarke's "Onondaga"; Halsey's "Old 
New York Frontier." Also "The Mohawk Valley," to 
whose author, Mr. W. Max Reid, we are indebted for 
several illustrations; and to the Rev. F. W. Merrill for 
extracts and illustrations from his "People of the Stone." 

There has also been given by me for reference : "Mis- 
sions to the Oneidas," papers written by Susan Feni- 
more Cooper. They appeared some few years since in 
"The Living Church" as a serial and were in part pre- 
pared at the request of a friend on hearing of Bishop 
Kemper's earnest desire to have same account of these 
faithful Indians written and preserved in book form. 
They, with a Diary kept by the wife of a most faithful 
Missionary among them, were to have so appeared; but 
certain untoward events at the time, less interest in the 
Indians, etc., prevented. Since, though feeling great 
inability to undertake this work, we have been kindly 
urged by the Rev. F. W. Merrill to give a fuller histori- 



x PREFACE. 

cal account of the Oneidas than his own. Out of this 
request has grown this unpretentious work. 

There has been made little or no attempt to give a 
statistical account of Indian treaties, Reservation trans- 
fers, or Government dealings with the Nation, but simply 
to record such customs and events of their past and pres- 
ent as may be of general interest. Gleanings from 
various reliable sources of one of the noted Six Nations. 
A Tribe well worthy to have their name and lineage 
handed down to their descendents. 

J. K. B. 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter. Page. 

i — In Central New York n 

2 — "People of the Long House" 22 

3 — Religious Beliefs 35 

4 — Councils of the League 48 

5 — Conflicts with the French 59 

6 — Efforts to Christianize the Indians 67 

7 — Rumors of War 8: 

8— The Rev. Samuel Kirkland 89 

9 — The Oneidas Prove Faithful 102 

10 — Stirring Events 114 

11— After the War 126 

12 — Resettling in New York 138 

13 — From Study to Warfare 152 

14 — Removal to Wisconsin 167 

15 — Ordination and Retirement 180 

16 — The Lost Prince 193 

17 — Pioneer Missionaries 216 

18 — Bishop Kemper and Nashotah 226 

19 — The Rev. Edward A. Goodnough 235 

20 — Records of a Busy Life 254 

21 — Diary of Ellen Goodnough Continued 270 

22 — Deep Sorrow at the Mission 285 

23 — The Rev. Solomon S. Burleson 300 

24— The Rev. F. W. Merrill 316 

25 — Onan-gwat-go 326 

26 — Educational Advantages 335 

27 — The Hospital in Working Order 350 

28 — Ordination of the Rev. Leopold Kroll 360 

29 — Christmas on the Reservation 365 

30 — Conclusion t>77 

Supplement 385 

A Tribute 390 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Hobart Church, Oneida, Wisconsin Frontispiece 

Facing page 

A View of Oswego River 24 

The Oneida Stone in Utica Cemetery. 28 ^ 

The Rocky Wall of the Canajoharie — On the Way to 

Council 5° 

Guard Lock — Site of Queen Anne's Chapel 72 . 

Queen Anne's Indian Chapel, Built in 1713 73 

The Old Queen Anne Parsonage, Fort Hunter. 1712.... 74 
Part of Communion Service, From Queen Anne to the 

Mohawks 75 

Sir William Johnson, Bart., 1715-1774 _. 82 

St. John's Church, Johnstown, with Grave of Sir 

William Johnson 83 

Old Fort Johnson, Built in 1742 84 

Wolf Hollow .. 85 

Hamilton Academy. Founded in 1784 by Samuel Kirk- 
land 98 

By the College Ground 98 

Hamilton College, 1847 99 

Hamilton College Campus 100 r 

The Rev. Samuel Kirkland 101 

Interior of Old Fort Ontario. Soldiers' Barracks. Deep 

Sallyport, and Guard house 1 14 y 

Officers' Quarters within the Fort, Before the Revolution 115 

Fort Ontario and Life-saving Station 122 

Thayendanegea — Joseph Brant 126 

St. George's Church, Schenectady, Built in 1757 142. 

The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart. D.D 148 

Eleazcr Williams, 1806 154 

Prince de Joinville 155 

Chief Shenandoah 173 

Chief Daniel Bread iJ3 

Log Church Built by Eleazer Williams about 1825; The 

Original Hobart Church 177^ 

Duck Creek 177 

The Williams 1 lome on Fox River [8 

The Dauphin, Louis XVII - 

Eleazer Williams, 1852 

The Rev. Richard Fish Cadle, Missionary 1830-1836 216 

Protestant Episcopal Mis-ion Buildings at Green Bay.. 217 

Hobart Church, Oneida. Built in 1830 2:0 

The Rev. F. R. Haft, Missionary 1847-1852 224 

The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper. D.D., First Bishop of 

Wisconsin 226 

Nashota as in 1843- 1844 -34 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Facing page 
The Rev. Edward A. Goodnough, for thirty-five year.-, 

Missionary to the Oneidas 235 

Oneida Farmers 244 

Chief Hill 248 

A Typical Oneida of the Past 264 

Oneida Women 265 

Members of the Hobart Guild — See pages 366-368 265 

The Rt. Rev. W. E. Armitage, D.D 290 

The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown, D.D 291 

The Oneidas at Church 294 

The Episcopal Church 295 

The Rev. Solomon S. Burleson. Missionary 1891-1897... 312 / 

The Burleson Brothers — Priests 313 

The Burleson Monument 314 / 

The Rev. F. W. Merrill, for ten years Missionary to the 

Oneidas 316 / 

The Church Choir 320 

The Oneida National Band 320 / 

Dennison Wheelock, Indian Band Master 321 

The Rt. Rev. C. C. Grafton, D.D., Bishop of Fond 

du Lac 324 / 

The Rev. Cornelius Hill— Onan-gwat-go, Chief and 

Priest .334 

The United States Government Boarding School 336. 

The Assembly Hall, Government Boarding School 336 

The Mission Buildings t>37 

The Blacksmith Shop 341 / 

Young Creamery Patrons 342 . 

The Oneida Creamery : 342 

The Old-time Log House 343 

The Metoxen Home 343 

Oneida Beadwork 344 / 

( )neida Lace 344 

Oneida Basketry 345 

Episcopal Mission House 348 / 

The Sisters' House 348 

The Oneida Hospital 356 y 

J. A. Powless, M.D 356 

The Methodist Church 357 

The Rev. Leopold Kroll 360 

The Rt. Rev. R. H. Weller, D.D., Bishop Coadjutor of 

Fond du Lac 362 y 

Corn Husk Dolls 368/ 

Christmas at the School 372 

Oneida Children 373 

The Bishop Grafton Parish House 374 

Interior of an Indian I lome, 1906 380 

An Oneida Modern Home , , 380 



THE ONEIDAS. 

Chapter I. 
In Central New York. 

There is a general feeling of regret among historians, 
and those who would learn events of the past connected 
with the earliest settlements of this country, to find so 
little, comparatively speaking, recorded or correctly 
handed down. And this is especially true of our North 
and South American Indians. Whole tribes have passed 
away with but little to tell of their mode of living, or 
degree of intelligence. And yet the little in some in- 
stances gives assurance that some of the earliest known 
aboriginals were a superior people, especially those 
among the South American Indians, or those of Mexico 
and Peru. 

In Central America there have been found extensive 
remains of architecture and traces of civilization that one 
marvels over. They would seem to date back to a more 
remote period than even that of the Mexican and Peru- 
vian empires. Immense artificial mounds also exist in 
the Valley of the Mississippi, and elsewhere, supposed to 
be the work of a remarkably intelligent race of In- 
dians. Eminent writers who have since made a study of 
the Iroquois, their great intelligence and rare traits of 
character, think they may have been nearly allied to 
some of those who in the far past gave evidence of such 
remarkable achievements, but in time sadly deteriorated 
throusrh ill-treatment, indifference shown them and the 



i2 THE ON EI DAS. 

introduction among - them of fire-water with all its bane- 
ful influences, and that to the encroachments of the white 
man was due their apathy, or savage hatred and desire 
for revenge. 

As population increased, certainly they were crowded 
more and more out of their rights, cheated and robbed 
by avaricious land-agents, or those seeking to gain their 
valuable lands through exchange of mere trifles, or still 
worse, whisky, that they had taught the Indian to crave. 
And this has been going on from the advent of the white 
man among them down to the present time. Govern- 
ment, however, of late has been roused to a more humane 
and better policy in its treatment of the Indian. It is to 
be hoped now that the scattered remnants of the once 
powerful League, through being allowed to retain their 
Reservation, education and a higher state of civilization 
may prove themselves not only worthy of the truest, but 
in many characteristics no mean descendants of their 
earliest known ancestors. And this without undue 
praise, we think can be said of the Mohawks on their 
Canadian Reservation and of the Oneidas on theirs, near 
Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

Of the earliest history of the Oneidas we are baffled by 
uncertain traditions, or legends that are of little or no 
account. Cut from various valuable works at our dis- 
posal we find something of interest connected with the 
( >neidas when with the League in the northern part of 
New York. Lewis II. Morgan, at one time adopted by 
the Senecas and while with them taking notes of the dif- 
ferent Nations composing the Confederacy, tells us in his 
"League of the Iroquois" that "prior to their occupation 
of New York, they were living in the vicinity of Mon- 
treal upon the northern banks of the St. Lawrence. 



IN CENTRAL NEW YORK. 13 

They were then in subjection to the Adirondacks, a 
branch of the warlike Algonquin race. At that time 
they are said to have been few in number, but as they 
multiplied and gained experience in the hardship of the 
warpath and the chase they sought independence, and 
after a fierce struggle left the country." 

At what period this was, or the exact time of their en- 
trance into New York cannot now be ascertained. Most 
writers agree that it must have been a century, or more, 
before their discovery by the Dutch in 1609. For they 
had long occupied a vast territory between the Hudson 
and Genesee rivers. Some writers say: "After coasting 
along the shore of Lake Ontario separate bands entered 
the State at different points and made their way into the 
interior. And that it was the Onondagas alone, who 
coasting its eastern shore to the mouth of the Oswego 
River, entered through this channel." 

But this is immaterial. We would here state that in pre- 
paring this simple account of the Oneidas we may not in 
every instance be as technically correct as historians, or 
give exact locality and date, but shall endeavor to have 
them as nearly correct as some study and their own varied 
accounts will allow. 

"The Iroquois in their best days," says Halsey, in his 
"Old New York Frontier," "were the noblest and most 
interesting of all Indians who have lived on this continent 
north of Mexico. They were truly the men whose In- 
dian name signifies: 'We surpass all others.' They 
alone founded a political institution and gained political 
supremacy. With European civilization still unknown to 
them, they had given birth to self government in America. 
They founded independence, effected a union of States, 
carried their arms far beyond their own borders and made 



i 4 THE ONEIDAS. 

their conquests permanent. The conquered people be- 
coming tributary states much after the manner of those 
which Rome conquered two thousand years before them. 
In diplomacy the Iroquois matched the white man from 
Europe. They had self-control, knowledge of human 
nature, tact and sagacity, and they often became the 
arbitrators in disputes between other people." 

Universal testimony has been borne to their oratory 
of which the merit was its naturalness and bearing the 
supreme test of translation. Convinced that they were 
born free, they bore themselves with the pride which 
springs from that consciousness. Sovereigns they were 
and the only accountability they acknowledged was to the 
Great Spirit. "In war tactics they have been equaled by 
no red men. The forts which they created around their 
villages were essentially impregnable. An overwhelming 
force alone could enter them ; artillery alone destroy 
them. It was virtually an empire that they raised, and 
this empire like the empire of Rome, meant peace within 
its borders. Before the Europeans came, they had been 
unquestionably for some generations at peace among 
them. It was an ideal, an idyllic state of aboriginal life. 
All of which was to be overthrown by the coming of the 
white man when he arrived, bearing in one hand fire-arms 
and in the other fire-water." 

Other writers pay as high a tribute to this noble race 
of Indians. It is known, as we have already said, that 
for more than a century before their discovery by the 
Dutch, they had been in possession of the beautiful lands, 
hills and valleys, lakes and streams, in the central part of 
the State of New York now bearing their names. But of 
the exact period, or for what purpose they had first been 
formed into a league must ever remain mere conjecture, 



IN CENTRAL NEW YORK. 15 

for neither written history, nor Indian tradition can throw 
more than feeble light upon the subject. 

It is supposed, however, by some writers, that anciently 
they were separate and independent Nations, though of 
the same lineage. Sometimes, perhaps, with contentions 
among themselves yet ever ready to combine in making 
war upon the rude and more savage Indians of their in- 
terior and whom in time they conquered and brought 
under subjection. Finally, they must have united them- 
selves into a Confederacy for greater security as well as to 
strengthen their power and importance at home, and 
enable them to better pursue other conquests abroad. 
And, too, they had their own peculiar religious beliefs and 
ceremonies to unite in and give permanency to, differing 
from all other Indian Nations in important particulars. 
Hence their federative League must, it is thought, have 
been formed at a remote period. So remote that even by 
tradition the time became lost in the clouded uncertainty 
of the past. 

It is well known that whatever event is untraceable to 
the Indians they invest it with some peculiar legend. 
And Clark relates one as handed down in connection with 
the formation of the League. We can give it but in part 
for it is quite lengthy and flowery, but the main facts go to 
show that "Hundreds of years ago, Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha, the 
deity who presides over streams and fisheries, came down 
from his dwelling place in the clouds to visit the inhabi- 
tants of the earth. He had been sent by the Great and 
Good Spirit, No-wah-ne-re, to visit the streams and clear 
the channels from all obstructions, to seek out the best 
things of the country through which he intended to pass 
that they might be pointed out to the good people of the 
earth. 



1 6 THE ON HI DAS. 

"About this time two young men of the Onondaga Na- 
tion were listlessly gazing over the calm waters of the 
'Lake of a Thousand Isles' when they espied far in the 
distance a single white speck dancing over the bright blue 
waters. As they watched, it seemed to increase in size 
and moved as if approaching the place where they were 
concealed. They watched with anxiety, for at this time 
no canoes had ever made their appearance in the direc- 
tion from whence this was approaching. As the object 
neared the shore it proved to be a venerable man seated in 
a pure white canoe very curiously constructed and much 
more ingeniously wrought than those in use by the tribes 
of the country. 

"Like a signet upon the wide blue sea, so sat Ta-oun-ya- 
wat-ha upon the Lake of 'The Thousand Isles.' Deep 
thought sat on the brow of the gray haired mariner ; pene- 
tration marked his eyes, and deep, dark mystery pervaded 
his countenance. With a single oar he silently paddled 
his light trimmed bark along the shore of the lake as 
if seeking a suitable haven for rest. He soon turned the 
prow of his vessel into the arm of the 'double river', and 
made fast to the western shore, when he majestically 
ascended the steep bank and gained the summit of the 
hill. Then silently gazing around as if to examine the 
country he became enchanted with the view and exclaimed 
in accents of the wildest enthusiasm, 'Osh-wah-kee ! Osh- 
wah-kee !' interpreted, 'I see every where and I see 
nothing !' " 

This place of landing was probably at Montreal, a then 
unsettled village upon an island formed by the separation 
of the two channels by which the Ottawa issues into the 
St. Lawrence. For history tells us that there was an In- 
dian village there discovered as early as September, 1535, 



IX CENTRAL NEW YORK. 17 

by Jacques Cartier. And it was from his admiring ex- 
clamation at the view obtained from the neighboring hill 
that Montreal, corrupted from Mount Royal, derives its 
name. This real fact must in some way have become in- 
corporated in the legend. To return to it : "The two 
Onondagas, watching the mysterious old man as he de- 
scended from the hill, made themselves known to him, 
who gave them his reason for coming and invited them 
to cross the lake and go up the Swa-geh river." 

So well pleased was Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha with the coun- 
try, all the beautiful inland lakes and streams that he re- 
linquished his divine title, so runs the legend, and assumed 
the character and habits of the Indians of the State who 
gathered about him. He was, however, looked upon as 
an extraordinary individual and one possessed with 
transcendent powers of mind. The name, "Hi-a-wat-ha" 
very wise man, was now given him by the Indians who 
resorted to him for advice from all quarters. Shortly 
after, when the country became greatly alarmed by the 
sudden approach of a band of warriors from north of the 
Great Lakes, and made indiscriminate slaughter of men,, 
women and children, they thronged the dwelling place 
of Hi-a-wat-ha for advice. 

In this trying emergency he advised calling a council of 
their principal warriors that the advice of all might be 
received, for said he, "Our safety is in good council and 
speedy energetic action." Accordingly, runners with belts 
were dispatched in all directions notifying the Indians of a 
great Council to be held near the banks of the Lake, Oh- 
nan-ta-ha," supposed to be the high ground near where 
the Onondagas were settled and where, for long after- 
wards were held their great Council fires. When all had 
arrived and were ready Hi-a-wat-ha appeared among 



1 8 THE ON BID AS. 

them. A breathless silence ensued when the venerable 
Councilor began : 

"Friends and Brothers, you are members of many tribes 
and nations. You have come here, many of you a great 
distance from your homes. We have convened for one 
common purpose to promote one common interest and that 
is to provide for our mutual safety and how it shall be 
best accomplished. To oppose those hordes of northern 
foes by tribes singly and alone would prove our certain 
destruction. We can make no progress in that way, we 
must unite ourselves into one common band of brothers. 
Our warriors united would surely repel those rude in- 
vaders and drive them from the borders. This must be 
done and we shall be safe. 

"You — The Mohawks, sitting under the shadow of the 
'Great Tree,' whose roots sink deep in the earth and 
whose branches spread over a vast country shall be the 
First Nation, because you are warlike and mighty. And 
you, — Oneidas, a people who recline your bodies against 
the Everlasting Stone that can't be removed, shall be the 
Second Nation, because you give wise council. And you, 
— Onondagas, who have your habitations at the 'Great 
Mountain' and are overshadowed by its crags, shall be 
the Third Nation, because you are greatly gifted in speech 
and mighty in war. 

"And you — Cayugas, a people whose habitations are in 
the Dark Forests, and whose home is every where shall be 
the Fourth Nation, because of your superior cunning in 
hunting. 

"And you, — Senecas, a people who live in the Open 
Country and possess much wisdom shall be the Fifth 
Nation, because you understand better the art of raising 
corn and beans and making cabins. You, Five great and 



IN CENTRAL NEW YORK. 19 

powerful Nations, must unite and have but one common 
interest and no foe shall be able to disturb or subdue you. 

"And you, — Manhattoes, Nyacks, Montauks and others 
who are feeble 'Bushes,' and you, — Narragansetts, Mohe- 
gans, Wampanoogs, and your neighbors who are a 'Fish- 
ing People/ may place yourselves under our protection. 
Be for us and we will defend you. You of the South and 
you of the West may do the same and we will protect you. 
We earnestly desire your alliance and friendship. 

"Brothers, if we be united in this bond, the Great Spirit 
will smile upon us and we shall be free, prosperous and 
happy. But if we remain as we are we shall be subject to 
his frown ; we shall be enslaved, ruined, perhaps and 
annihilated forever. We shall perish and our names be 
blotted out from among the Nations of men. 

"Brothers, these are the words of Hi-a-wat-ha. Let 
them sink deep in your hearts. I have said it." 

A long silence ensued; the words of the wise man had 
made a deep impression upon the minds of all. They 
unanimously declared the subject too deep for immediate 
decision. "Let us," said the brave warriors and chiefs 
"adjourn the Council for one day and then we will re- 
spond." On the morrow the Council was again assembled. 
After due deliberation the speech of the wise man was 
declared to be good and worthy of adoption. 

"Immediately upon this was formed the celebrated 
Aquinuschioni, or League of the great Confederacy of 
the Five Nations, which to this day has remained in full 
force." After the business of this first great council, to 
which other tribes had been invited, was brought to a 
close and the assembly was on the eve of separation Hi-a- 
wat-ha arose and in a dignified manner said : 

"Friends and Brothers, — I have now fulfilled my mis- 



20 THE ONEIDAS. 

sion upon earth, I have done everything that can be done 
at present for the good of this great people. Age, infirm- 
ity and distress sit heavy upon me." He then in eloquent 
words before bidding them farewell admonished them not 
to admit other nations to their councils for fear of jeal- 
ousy and contentions among themselves which might en- 
slave and prevent their becoming free, numerous and 
mighty. And he closed by saying, "Remember these 
words, they are the last you will hear from the lips of Hi- 
a-wat-ha. Listen, my friends, the Great Master of Breath 
calls me to go. I have patiently waited His summons. I 
am ready, farewell." And the mysterious old man is said 
to have sailed away as he came, in the white vessel. 

Though this is but a legend there doubtless was some 
wise and noble Indian, who thus, long years ago, united 
them into the wonderful League. It certainly strength- 
ened them as a "United People." And through the 
Confederacy they ever after showed great power and 
almost marvellous executive ability to govern themselves 
and others through council. Later, indeed, we hear there 
has been found by one of our writers a long handed down 
tradition, going back to a very remote and uncertain pe- 
riod as to the formation of the League. It states that the 
Nations long ago were in separate and sometimes hostile 
bands, although of generic origin, and were drawn to- 
gether in Council to deliberate upon the plan of a League 
which a wise man of the Onondaga Nation had projected. 
He explained it and assured them that under it the United 
Nation could elevate themselves to a general supremacy. 
The name of the great and wise Chief was Da-ga-no-we- 
da. He is supposed to have been the real founder of the 
League and the first law-giver of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee, 
the name given to the Iroquois after the formation of 



IN CENTRAL NEW YORK. 21 

the League and said to signify "The People of the 
Long House." Among themselves it was their only 
name. The tradition also points to the northern shore of 
Ga-nun-ta-ah, Onondaga Lake, or valley near, as the place 
where the first council fire was kindled, around which the 
braves and wise men of the several Nations were gathered 
and where, after a long debate and much consideration, 
its establishment was effected. 



22 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter II. 
"People of the Long House." 

At a very early date, a century or more before their 
discovery by the white people, the various Nations had 
been living, for better security it is supposed against 
invaders, in strongly built bark lodges of peculiar con- 
struction. They were long in proportion to their width, 
partitioned off and occupied by several families living in 
harmony, each with its own hearthstone or fire. It was 
to these long houses, after the formation of the League, 
they figuratively likened themselves, "The People of the 
Long House," their political edifice opening its eastern 
door upon the Hudson, while the western door looked 
upon Niagara. 

At the time of their earliest discovery, says Morgan, 
"this fine domain was the patrimony of the League if not 
the land of their origin. And they had long defended 
it against hostile bands with a patriotism as glowing as 
such a fine possession could inspire in the heart of man." 
In their immediate vicinity were numerous tribes of In- 
dians called from their weakness and inferiority to their 
more powerful neighbors of the Five Nations, "The 
Bushes." As many as fifteen tribes were supposed to have 
had their allotted territories in the State of New York and 
on Long Island. From the first they evinced a hostile 
disposition towards their neighbors and later were a con- 
tinual source of alarm to the white inhabitants until they 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 23 

were subdued and became subject to the powerful con- 
federacy. Firmly banded in one they held the ascend- 
ancy over all these roving North American tribes, who 
have since become extinct. 

The territory proper of the "United People" is said to 
have extended from the Hudson River on the east to the 
Niagara River on the west, from Lake Ontario on the 
north, to the Alleghanies on the south. At one time their 
actual domain, we are told, reached from the Sorel River 
south, by the Great Lakes to the Mississippi west, then 
east to the Santee, and coastwise back to the Hudson. 
Says Clark: "They indeed occupied a wide spread of 
country comprising a great body of fertile land, combined 
with a healthy and temperate climate. They, too, had 
greater facilities for water communications, not only 
within their own territory but extending from it in all 
directions, with more extensive hunting grounds and fish- 
eries than any other tract of the same extent in the world. 

They were called by the French, "Iroquois," by the 
English, "The Confederates, or Five Nations," by the 
Dutch "Maquas," and by themselves "Mungoes" mean- 
ing to them all : "United People." The English long re- 
tained the name Magnos for the Mohawks. These intelli- 
gent Indians of the Confederacy, says one, "were not in- 
sensible to the political advantages afforded by their 
geographical position. It was their boast that they occu- 
pied the highest part of the continent, and that it pos- 
sessed greater advantages than any other part of America. 
Situated upon the head waters of the Hudson, the Dela- 
ware, the Susquehanna, the Ohio and the St. Lawrence, 
flowing in every direction to the sea, they held within 
their jurisdiction, as it were, the gates of the country and 
could through them descend at will upon every point. 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 25 

almost as one Nation. But in time the Oneidas estab- 
lished themselves at Ga-no-wa-lo-hale, east of the lake 
that afterwards bore their name, and became a more inde- 
pendent Nation. In like manner the Onondagas settled 
themselves in the Onondaga valley and on the adjacent 
hills. This, however, must have been prior to the forma- 
tion of the League. For to the Onondagas already set- 
tled in their picturesque locality near the Deep Spring 
were given the custody, for all time, of the "Council 
Brand," and also the Wampum into which the law of the 
League had been "talked." Not, it is said, in preference 
or any superior power, but from their situation equally 
convenient for all the Long House to reach. 

The territory of the Cayugas lay upon both sides of 
Cayuga Lake and eastward to Owasco Lake. The Sen- 
ecas had their territory east of the Genesee River, and 
extended their jurisdiction over the whole of the area be- 
tween Seneca Lake and Lake Erie. The Long House 
to which they likened their political edifice opened its 
eastern door upon the Hudson, while the western looked 
upon the Niagara where dwelt the Senecas. To them 
were given the name of Do-nan-ne-ho-out : "The Door 
Keepers". To them belonged the guardianship of the 
western door of the Long House, while the Mohawks 
were made Door Keepers at the east in the Mohawk 
country. 

On the boundary line between the Onondagas and 
Oneidas the most prominent point was the Deep Spring, 
De-o-song-wa. This Spring not only marked the limit 
line between them, but was a well known stopping place 
on the great central trail, or highway of the Nations as 
they passed back and forth through the Long House or 
heart of the territory from the Hudson to Lake Erie. 



26 THE ONEIDAS. 

From this Deep Spring the line ran due south into Penn- 
sylvania, crossing the Susquehanna near the confluence 
with the Chenango. North of this spring the line was 
deflected to the west, leaving the Oneida territory the 
whole circuit of the lake. 

This spring was used in common by them all. Of it 
Judge Jones of Utica writes : "What is quite singular, the 
water runs in at the lower and disappears at the upper 
side of the reservoir." This spring while the woods were 
in shade and the wild deer descended to taste its limpid 
waters was long the favorite meeting place between the 
Oneidas and the Onondagas. The Onondagas, as has 
been said, were called the "People of the Hill," while the 
Oneidas were the "People of the Stone." The Rev. F. 
W. Merrill, in his interesting pamphlet upon "The Peo- 
ple of the Stone", gives the following legend of how they 
acquired their name. He says: 

"For the legend of 'The Oneida Stone' we are indebted 
to Dr. M. M. Bagg of the Oneida Historical Society, 
Utica, N. Y. At a prominent position near the entrance 
of the Forrest Hill Cemetery, Utica, stands the Palla- 
dium of the Oneidas, the sacred stone which gave them 
their national name, and which is said to have followed 
them in all their wanderings. The legend is that the 
Oneidas, whose territory extended from the country of the 
Onondagas to that of the Mohawks, occupying all of Cen- 
tral New York, were descended from two Onondaga In- 
dians, who were brothers. At a very remote period they 
left their native home and built wigwams on the Oneida 
River, at the outlet of Oneida Lake, where, like the ante- 
diluvians, they 'builded a city' and 'begat sons and 
daughters.' 

At their resting place there appeared an oblong round- 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 27 

ish stone, unlike any of the rocks in the vicinity, which 
came to be their sacrificial altar, and gave a name to their 
children. "Onia," in their native tongue, is the word for 
a stone. As their descendants increased in number and 
became a community, they were called after this stone 
"Onionta-aug" "the people of the stone," or "who springs 
from the Stone." A mispronunciation has given us the 
word Oneida. The stone was the altar upon which all 
their sacrifices were made, and around which their coun- 
cils and festive and religious gatherings took place. 

After a lapse of several generations, the Onionta-aug, 
now become numerous, removed from the Oneida River 
to a place where the creek, which now bears their name, 
is discharged into the Oneida Lake, and the sacred stone, 
unassisted by human hands, so the legend runs, followed 
them and located itself again in their midst. Here they 
flourished until the confederation of the Five Nations was 
formed, and the children of the stone became second in 
the order of precedence in the great confederacy. At 
length it was determined by the old men and warriors of 
the nation to remove their council fire to the summit of 
one of the chains of hills, skirting the valley of the Oneida 
creek on the east. 

When the council of the Nation had selected this new 
home for its people, the stone, true to its mission, a second 
time followed in the train of its children, and seeking one 
of the most commanding and beautiful points upon the 
hill, deposited itself in a beautiful butternut grove, from 
which the eye could look out upon the wide landscape, the 
most lovely portion of the national domain. Here it re- 
mained to witness the subsequent history of its people. It 
saw the Five Nations increase in power and importance 
until their name struck terror from the St. Lawrence to 



28 THE ONEIDAS. 

the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Hudson to the Father 
of Waters. 

Around this unhewn altar, within its leafy temple, was 
gathered all the wisdom of the nation, when measures 
affecting its welfare were to be considered. Here, elo- 
quence as effective and beautiful as ever fell from classic 
lips was poured forth in the ears of its sons and daugh- 
ters. Here, Skenandoah, the latest orator of his race, — 
the warrior chief, the lowly Christian convert, — with 
matchless power swayed the hearts of his countrymen. 
Here the sacred rites were celebrated at the return of each 
harvest moon and each new year, when every son and 
daughter of the Stone came up like the Jewish tribes of 
old, to join in the national festivities. 

In 1850 the Oneida Stone was bought with the Ceme- 
tery, from Madison County, with the approval of the 
resident Oneidas, as well as by the consent of the owner 
of the farm where it rested. The Cemetery was opened, 
and two hundred Oneidas and Onondagas came, and after 
the ceremonies many of them stooped to kiss the stone, 
and addresses were made by chiefs of both tribes and in- 
terpreted by the interpreter of the Oneidas, declaring 
that the tribes gave their sanction to this final disposal of 
the altar of their fathers. It is also stated that, the large 
space around the stone was left for the interment of any 
Oneidas who might wish to be buried there. Another in 
writing upon this subject says: 

"The Oneidas have so long been distinguished as 'The 
People of the Stone' it is venturesome to suggest any 
other. O-Na-yate, however, the radix from which their 
names is derived signifies not only a stone, but one of the 
species known to us as granite. In the Seneca dialect it 
means this particular rock, hence the propriety of render- 




a A*. '0?.z *l;«U? &To„* /I. yjsfi. ^u 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 29 

ing literally their national name O-Na-yote-ka-o-no ; 'The 
Granite People' . The original stone, too, in the Ceme- 
tery at Utica is a granite boulder." "The Granite Peo- 
ple" firm and strong, is certainly a good name to be 
known by, but the Oneidas will probably retain their more 
familiar title to all time. 

The Tuscaroras, Dus-ga-o-\veh. "Shirt Wearing Peo- 
ple," upon their expulsion from North Carolina in 1712, 
turned to the North and sought the protection of the Ho- 
de-na-sau-nee, or People of the Long House, on the 
ground of genie origin. They were then admitted into 
the League and so formed the Sixth Nation, and were 
ever after regarded as members of the Confederacy, al- 
though never admitted to full equality. A portion 
of the Oneida territory was assigned to them. 
Later there were two other small bands or remnants of 
tribes located within the territories of the Oneidas, the 
Mohekunnuks settled a few miles south of Oneida Castle, 
and a band of the New England Indians south of Clinton, 
Oneida County. For these lands they were also indebted 
to the generosity of the Oneidas to whom they applied 
"for a place to spread their blankets." And their posses- 
sions were subsequently secured to them by treaty. 

In their hunting excursions each Nation was accus- 
tomed to confine itself to its own domain which, says 
Morgan, to a people subsisting in part by the chase, was 
a matter of some moment. But upon their foreign hunt- 
ing grounds, which were numerous and boundless, either 
Nation was at liberty to encamp. By establishing these 
territorial limits between the Nations of the League the 
political individuality of each was kept in view. The va- 
rious trails in their own country were kept very distinct. 
For centuries upon centuries and by generation after gen- 



3 o THE ONEIDAS. 

eration their old and deeply worn trails had been trod by 
the red man. From the Atlantic to the Mississippi, the 
main Indian routes through the country were as accur- 
ately and judiciously traced and as familiar as our own. 
On many of their distant foot-paths the Nation had con- 
ducted warlike expeditions and had thus become practi- 
cally versed in the geography of the country and were as 
familiar with the routes of travel, the lakes, hills and 
streams as we ourselves, have since become. 

Of the various clans, divisions and subdivisions among 
the Confederates we will not attempt to write now, or 
give their strictly adhered to rules of marriage and inter- 
marriage between the different Nations. Later some of 
these restrictions were in a measure removed. But they 
helped greatly at the early time towards strengthening 
their wonderful form of self-government. One thing, 
though, we should not omit to state. The direct line of 
descent was through the mother, not the father as with 
all other nations, but they had good and wise reasons for 
this, as for other codes of law among them, many of 
them, we believe, strictly adhered to, down to the present 
day. 

To the Oneidas but three clans were given, the Wolf, 
the Bear, and the Turtle. These peculiar names and of 
others among the Six Nations, are thought by Morgan to 
be emblematic and have a signification reaching beyond 
the animal or object named. On the formation of the 
League, Sachems and Chiefs were appointed to each 
Nation. But afterwards, when required, and to guard 
against fraud and contentions, they were "raised up" by 
united decision and invested with the title by Council of 
all the Nations and with suitable ceremonies. When a 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 31 

Council was to be called well trained runners were sent 
forth with belts to notify. 

The endurance and capability of these runners seem 
marvellous. Indeed, told at this day, they appear almost 
incredible. 

They were employed to spread information throughout 
the Confederacy, as well as summon Council for some 
public exigency. But three days, it is said, were neces- 
sary to convey intelligence from Buffalo to Albany. 
Swiftness of foot was an acquirement among the Iroquois 
which brought the individual in high repute. A trained 
runner would traverse a hundred miles a day. With re- 
lays, which were sometimes resorted to, the length of the 
day's distance could be considerably increased. It is said 
that the runners of Montezuma conveyed intelligence to 
him of the movement of Cortez at the rate of two hundred 
miles a day. But this, it is thought must be regarded 
as extravagant. And yet with speedy relays and allowing 
the full twenty-four hours to a day it might be accom- 
plished, for we find it asserted as true, that during the 
Revolutionary War, a runner was known to leave Tonan- 
wanda at early dawn, probably before four o'clock in the 
summer season for Avon, a distance of forty miles upon 
the trail, deliver his message and return to Tonanwanda 
not long after noon. Just think of it! Eighty miles and 
within so short a time. 

In the night these runners were guided by the stars 
with which they were familiar and from which they 
learned to keep their direction, or regain it if perchance 
they lost their way. During the fall and winter they de- 
termined their course by the Pleiades Meides, or Seven 
Stars. This group in the neck of Taurus they called Got- 
gwae-etar. In the spring and summer they ran by another 



32 THE ONEIDAS. 

group which they named Gwe-o-ga-ah, or the Loon, 
four stars at the angle of a rhombus. In preparing to 
carry messages they denuded themselves entirely with the 
exception of the breech cloth and belt They were 
usually sent out in pairs and took their way through the 
forest, one a little distance behind the other, in perfect 
silence. 

We cannot now more than briefly allude to results at- 
tained through the united power of the "People of the 
Long House." "One of the first effects of their federal 
system," says Morgan, "was an universal spirit of aggres- 
sion ; a thirst for military glory and political aggrandize- 
ment which made the old forests of America resound to 
human conflict from New England to the Mississippi, and 
from the northern confines of the Lakes to the Tennessee 
and the hills of Carolina." And from these long con- 
tinued and apparently unavoidable conflicts with the more 
rude, barbarous and aggressive tribes of Indians near 
them, it may be that later, on hearing of them, so many 
have acquired the belief that as a whole the Indians are a 
blood-thirsty, treacherous, deceitful and altogether savage 
race of people, only fit to be wiped out of existence. 

It is to do away with some of these false impressions 
that various writers are now trying to vindicate them. 
And if in some instances the praise seems exaggerated 
you must remember it is not of Indians in general, we 
write, neither should you have before your minds the 
more uncultivated and savage Indians of the far West, 
but of the Six Nations as they were in the past, and their 
descendants as now giving constant proof of rare intelli- 
gence. Of them, says a writer, "while it would be unrea- 
sonable to seek those high qualities of mind which result 
from acres of cultivation, in their ruder state of n ' tence, 



"PEOPLE OF THE LONG HOUSE." 33 

it would be equally irrational to regard the Indian char- 
acter as devoid of all those higher characteristics which 
ennoble the human race. 

"If he has never contributed a page to science, nor a 
discovery to art ; if he loses in the progress of generations 
as much as he gains ; still there are certain qualities of his 
mind which shine forth in all the lustre of natural perfec- 
tion. His simple integrity, his generosity, his unbounded 
hospitality, his love of truth, and above all his unshaken 
fidelity, are inborn sentiments standing out so conspicu- 
ously as to have been not untruthfully declared their 
marked characteristics." 

"Unrecorded except by tradition," says one of our 
earliest writers, "are the accounts of the doubtless neces- 
sary warlike achievements of this gifted and progressive 
race of Indians. They evidently raised themselves 
through the early vicissitudes of incessant strife to a gen- 
eral and acknowledged supremacy over their boundless 
territories." "Without considering the terrible and fero- 
cious characteristics of Indian warfare it must be ad- 
mitted," says Clarke, "that the empire which the Confed- 
eracy raised over other Indian nations furnishes no slight 
evidence of their courage and sagacity." 

About the year 1700 the Nations reached their cul- 
minating point. They had reared a colossal Indian em- 
pire, so far as its sway over the aboriginals was con- 
cerned, and in comparison greater than any Indian power 
which had risen north of the Aztec monarchy. Having 
established their dominion securely against all races of 
Indian lineage, and strengthened the bond of union 
among themselves beyond the power of civil dissensions, 
they would seem to have prepared themselves for a still 
higher progress, through the pursuits of peace. But a 



34 THE ONEIDAS. 

different and more deadly enemy than the Indian had 
already stretched forth its arms to enfold them in its 
withering embrace. After that, and from various causes, 
came their gradual decadence and some years later their 
Council-fire was extinguished, their hands as it were, 
taken from them, and they became a scattered people. 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 35 



Chapter III. 
Religions Beliefs. 

The Oneidas are thought to have been the most sus- 
ceptible to religious instruction. The Mohawks, though 
more warlike, were also ever ready to listen to the teach- 
ings of the Missionaries sent to them from time to time. 
As a Nation, however, the Oneidas were the most re- 
sorted to for advice in negotiations with the Confederacy 
to win them to prepare the minds of the remaining can- 
tons. And from their naturally mild, peaceable disposi- 
tions and good counsel they were doubtless termed 
"wise in council," by the old man of the legend. 

The Indians of the League can at no time have been 
considered "heathens," so far certainly as the term* is 
applied to foreign races, without the slightest idea of a. 
Creator, mere worshippers of idols, graven images of 
wood and stone. For at all times we find they had a belief 
in a Great Spirit, the Creator of all things. Says Clarke 
in his "Onondaga," "From time immemorial having 
been shut in from the light of civilization and the influ- 
ences of a pure religion, with only the traditionary faith of 
their forefathers always orally transmitted, it is not to be 
wondered at their religious opinions were implicitly be- 
lieved, most scrupulously adhered to, and practiced with a 
zeal and fidelity worthy of all commendation. Even 
among the Pagan party," he adds, "there is little differ- 
ence of opinion in religious matters. They at least were 



36 THE ONBIDAS. 

agreed in sentiment, their aim the public good. Indi- 
vidual virtues were cultivated and these were explained 
and illustrated in their more Pagan ceremonies." 

Of the Christian party it is said, "they always believed 
in one Great Spirit styled in the language of the Onon- 
dagas, Ha-wah-ne-who, Creator of the world ; the Holder 
of Heaven; the Master of Breath; the Maker of men and 
animals. He is the controller of events ; he rules the des- 
tinies of man, and supplies him with the comforts and 
■conveniences of life ; makes abundance of game in the 
hunting ground and supplies the streams with fish and 
the air with birds. He is believed to be the peculiar Deity 
of the red man as they are 'His peculiar people.' " 
Whence comes this later belief? 

So strong are they in their belief of their own exclu- 
sive heaven that in wishing to honor George Washington, 
who, after the war, had befriended them when the Eng- 
lish, whom they had served so long and faithfully, cast 
them off, they awarded him a place in heaven where he 
was to be honored by them for all time. 

For ages the Indian seems to have believed in the im- 
mortality of the soul, for Morgan, one of our earliest wri- 
ters who, when among them had an opportunity to study 
their various beliefs says : "The immortality of the soul 
was one of their fixed beliefs. 'The happy home beyond 
the sun, for these Indians never spoke of it as a hunting 
ground, had cheered the heart and lightened the expiring 
eye before the ships of Columbus had borne the cross to 
this Western world." They also believed in future pun- 
ishment. This is maintained to be a part of their ancient 
faith and to have been an essential part of their very ear- 
liest belief. The wicked, they say, after death, pass into 
the dark realm of Ha-ne-go-ate-geh, there to undergo 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 37 

punishment for their evil deeds. Those who are not con- 
sumed by the degree of punishment inflicted are, after 
this purification, transplanted to the abode of the Great 
Spirit and to eternal felicity. Evil deeds in this life are 
neutralized by meritorious acts. After the balance is 
struck between them if the good preponderates the spirit 
passes directly to Ha-wen-ne-yu-geh. But if the bad 
overbalances it goes at once to Ha-nis-ha-a-no-get ; the 
dwelling place of the Evil-mind, where punishments are 
meeted out to it in proportion to the magnitude of its 
offences. Certain crimes like those of witchcraft and 
murder are punished eternally, others temporarily. 

The resemblance between this system of punishment 
and the purgatory of the Roman Catholic Church may 
lead some to infer that they derived from the Jesuits some 
of their ideas of the nature and office of punishment and 
of its limitations. Yet, says Morgan, "while the Iroquois 
may have obtained more systematic and enlarged views 
upon these subjects from without, yet at the same time, 
and as they affirm, they have always believed that the 
wicked were excluded from heaven and sent to the place 
of infelicity." Their traditions certainly tend to estab- 
lish a belief in future punishment as a tenet of their an- 
cient faith. 

"That the Indian without the aid of revelation should 
have arrived at a fixed belief in the existence of One Su- 
preme Being, and invisible but ever present Deity, has 
ever been a matter of surprise and admiration. His per- 
sonal existence an intuitive belief which neither the lapse 
of centuries could efface or inventions of man corrupt. 
By the diffusion of this great truth, if the Indian did not 
escape the spell of superstition which resulted from his 
imperfect knowledge of the Deity and his ignorance of 



38 THE ONBIDAS. 

natural phenomena, he at least was saved from all barbar- 
ism, and idolatrous worship. 

"They believed also in the constant superintending care 
of the Great Spirit. He ruled and administered the 
world and the affairs of the red race. As Moses taught 
that Jehovah was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 
and of his chosen people so the Iroquois regarded the 
Great Spirit as the God of the Indian alone." (We note 
this as they have been thought by some to be the descend- 
ants of the lost tribes of Israel). "They looked up to Him 
as the author of their being, the source of their temporal 
blessings, and the future dispenser of the felicities of their 
heavenly home. To Him they rendered constant thanks 
for the changes in the season, the fruits of the earth, the 
preservation of their lives, and for their social privileges, 
and political prosperity. And to Him they addressed 
their prayers for the continuance of His protecting care. 

"Their knowledge of the attributes of the Great Spirit 
was necessarily limited and imperfect. Of His goodness 
and beneficence they had a full impression, and some cor- 
rect idea, too, of His justice and perfection. They also 
believed in an Evil Spirit yet not as we do. With them 
the Evil Spirit Ha-ne-go-ate-geh, Evil-mind, ruled some 
events. According to the legend or tradition handed 
down to them, "The Evil and Good Spirit were brothers 
born at the same time and destined to an endless exist- 
ence. To the Evil Spirit, in a limited degree, was ascribed 
creative power. As the Great Spirit created man and all 
useful animals and products of the earth, so the Evil 
Spirit created all monsters, poisonous reptiles and noxious 
plants. In a word while the former made every thing 
that was good and subservient, the latter formed every 
thing that was bad and pernicious to men." 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 39 

One of the spirits delighted in virtue and in the happi- 
ness of his creatures, to which end he exercised over them 
his unceasing protection. The other was committed to 
deeds of evil and was ever watchful to scatter discord 
among men and multiply their calamities. Over the Evil- 
mind the Great Spirit exercised no positive authority, al- 
though possessed of the power to overcome him if dis- 
posed to its exertion. Each ruled an independent king- 
dom, with power underived. Man's free agency stood 
between them, with which, in effect, he controlled his own 
destiny. A life of trust and confidence in the Great 
Spirit and of obedience to his commands afforded a 
refuge and shelter to the pious Indian against the ma- 
chinations of the Evil-mind. 

"It is not at all surprising," says one, "when knowing 
their religious beliefs that some are led to consider the 
possibility of their being descendants of the Lost Tribes 
from among the children of Israel. And there certainly 
is much in their traditions and religious observances to 
warrant this conjecture. It was very early known that 
they had some idea of the flood. And there are writers 
who in various ways and very closely compare their lives 
with the Israelites. But of course it is all mere conjec- 
ture ; for one who can tell when or in what manner origi- 
nated their faith, peculiar religious institutes and observ- 
ance of them." 

We will, however, give a few coincidences which have 
given rise to the theory of their ceremonies having great 
similarity with those of the Jews, Egyptians, Greeks and 
Romans. Certainly when the white people first came 
among them their practices in all respects were nearly the 
same as at present, especially among a large portion of 
the Iroquois. So they cannot have been taught by them. 



40 THE ONEIDAS. 

"If true that they and their institutions originated in a 
more enlightened ancestry than they for a long time ex- 
hibited ; yet," says Clarke, "it may be unphilosophical to 
search for the origin from an exalted and civilized people. 
Still among all the dark and unseemly institutions we ob- 
serve some glimmering of light and perceive in the gen- 
eral wreck the ruins of a more high and loftier order of 
things 

"Sacrifices we find have in all ages and by almost every 
nation been regarded as necessary to appease divine anger 
and to render Deity propitious. The origin of the insti- 
tution of sacrifice is closely traceable to divine authority, 
and to that pure primeval period when our original ances- 
tor Adam, and his sons, were yet upon earth." "Cain 
brought of the first fruits of the earth an offering and 
Abel his brother the firstlings of his flock." And we are 
told the offering of Cain was rejected, while that of Abel 
was accepted. From the example of the early chosen 
people of God, the Gentile nations received and retained 
their notions of sacrifice, and on this account we need not 
wonder to find so many coincidences in the sacrificial sys- 
tem of the League. 

"The principal yearly sacrifices of the Jews were the 
Paschal Lamb at the Passover, celebrated at the com- 
mencement of the sacred year ; the day of Pentecost or 
first fruits ; the beginning of the civil year or ingathering 
of the harvest ; the day of expiation or great day of 
Atonement. There were also the monthly festivals and 
others of less importance and all attended with the great- 
est punctuality. In the same way are the five stated fes- 
tivals of The Six Nations, of which we shall speak di- 
rectly. For even to this day some of them are observed 
by the Onondagas at Onondaga Castle, New York. 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 41 

"Before the law was given to Moses, burnt offerings 
served for all purposes of divine worship, whether they 
gave thanks for the blessings received or prayed for good. 
These sacrifices expiated sins of omission and commis- 
sion, and from them many nations undoubtedly obtained 
their impressions of atonement for sin. Yet from what 
remote period, or in what way the rite has been trans- 
mitted with perhaps more or less corruption even to the 
wilds of America who can say? Certainly they have con- 
tinued to the present time among a people shut out, we 
know not for how long, from all intercourse with the old 
world, debarred the light of science, civilization and relig- 
ion. Considering all this, it is only a wonder that they re- 
tain so much of their primeval purity as their religious 
habits exhibit, and which, it was thought, were marked by 
a much higher degree of moral propriety and rational de- 
votion than were those of the Egyptians, Greeks and 
Romans, who lived and flourished near the time of the 
patriarchs and prophets. 

"The priest's office was anciently exercised by masters 
of families and heads of clans. Previous to the conse- 
cration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, the office 
of priest and magistrate were blended in the same person. 
Abraham, who was styled prince and ruler, offered burnt 
sacrifices as a priest. And Gideon, a ruler in Israel and 
a distinguished warrior, and who was offered a crown by 
the people, did sacrifice and performed the office of a 
priest. Other rulers in the same way, having no especial 
authority, 'offered sacrifice,' says sacred history, 'unto 
the Lord.' So with the Chiefs of the Six Nations. They 
invariably officiated as priests and directors at their fes- 
tivals and sacrifices. Though it is true some of their 
older Chiefs were more especially appointed ' Keepers 



42 THE ONBIDAS. 

of the faith." And to them was committed supervision 
of their religious observances and to hand down their 
traditions. But in no other way were they different from 
other chiefs and warriors. 

The Jews, it is true, offered in sacrifice oxen, sheep and 
goats, only. Other animals though they might be 
esteemed good for food, were considered unsuitable for 
sacrifice. And the ceremonial law distinctly declares 
what animals shall be considered clean and what unclean. 
It may be asked then why the dog, an animal rejected 
from the Jewish ceremonial, even the price of which 
should not be received into the treasury of the Sanctuary, 
should be used among the Indians, as an animal suitable 
for sacrifice ? We find that dogs were their only domes- 
tic animal, and wild animals had not been commended to 
them for sacrifices hence their use of the only one they 
always had at hand. And to them the dog was also 
considered suitable for its fidelity. 

By the Jews, in the selecting of animals for sacrifice the 
utmost care was taken to choose such only as were free 
from blemish, "without spot and without blemish," are 
terms in frequent use throughout the Jewish ritual. And 
it was a custom among the Nations surrounding Judea, 
and among the Egyptians to set a seal upon the animal 
deemed proper for sacrifice. The Indians also selected 
their animal, a white dog, "without spot or blemish." 
Among the early Jews, Greeks and Romans their mythol- 
ogy is symbolized by the dog. Purification is said to 
have been made in those ancient cities by drawing a white 
dog around the person to be purified. In other ways 
we hear of the white dog as represented among other 
mythological duties. 

The ceremony of Aaron with the goats in many par- 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 43 

ticulars was not unlike the sacrifices of the Indians, ex- 
cept in the selection of the different animals. But in 
each case they were pure white, without spot or blemish. 
So who can tell from what source this singular and won- 
derful race of Indians derived their various religious 
ceremonies. Says Clarke, "any one who will take the 
trouble to examine at all into the intricacies and cere- 
monies of their sacrificial system will readily admit that 
there are many things which bear striking analogy to the 
Jewish system and enough to encourage the opinion that 
they may have originated from the same source." 

Bishop Talbot, we find, in his recent work : "My People 
of the Plains," page 258, alludes to the Arapahoe In- 
dians as having a somewhat similar religious belief as 
the Iroquois. After speaking of other tribes he says : 
"In their native faith, before they accept Christianity 
there are certain general beliefs, but the religious prac- 
tices of the various tribes differ more or less. 

The Shoshones are rather more superstitious than 
religious. They are not as devout naturally as some other 
tribes, but light-hearted, happy-go-lucky people, who take 
even death with a laugh. The Arapahoes, on the other 
hand, are far more religious and devout, confidently be- 
lieving that they and they alone, are God's chosen people, 
heirs of salvation and of the life everlasting. Indeed in 
many respects their religion is similar to the children of 
Israel. They have the story of the creation, the entrance 
of death into the world, and the promise of redemption. 
They also believe in the resurrection of the body and eter- 
nal life. Moreover they look for a saviour of their race. 
Their religious ceremonies and sacred rites remind one 
forcibly of the ancient Hebrews and the idolatry of the 
Canaanites combined. They are without doubt the rem- 



44 THE ONBIDAS. 

nant of an ancient people who, according to their own 
traditions, crossed over from the "old earth" to this "new 
earth" by way of the northwest, passing over frozen 
water. 

They came hither they say to escape oppression ; for 
their country was taken, they themselves were cruelly 
treated, and their children slain by "strangers," — the 
Gentiles. This is the name by which they now designate 
the whites. The word "pale face" has no place in their 
language, or that of the Shosones, nor have the expres- 
sion, "great Spirit." "happy hunting ground," and other 
time-honored phrases. After following out other relig- 
ious beliefs of these tribes Bishop Talbot adds : "The 
religious customs of both tribes bear out the truth that 
the cradle of the human race was in the Orient." 

Although the Indians are thought heathens for their 
belief in witchcraft they never were more guilty than 
were the Jews, or the heathen around about them. There 
is scarcely a nation, civilized or barbarian, heathen or 
Christian, who have not had their season of belief in this 
strange infatuation. Even our good New England fore- 
fathers, remarkable for intelligence and light, can, as we 
all know, look back upon a dark and gloomy page of their 
history which reflects the horrors of murder committed 
for imaginary witchcraft. 

"Baskets, we find, were made use of both by Greeks 
and Romans in gathering in their offerings, as also by the 
Jews. Solemn embassies were sent yearly to Delos, with 
baskets of first fruits and holy things, to celebrate the 
feast of Apollo with music and dancing. Virgil makes 
mention of the use of baskets in which first fruits were 
carried. And it was the same custom with the Indians. 
Dancing, too, occupied a conspicuous place among some 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 45 

of the heathen nations as a religious ceremony; and was 
not considered irreligious by the Israelites. Miriam, and 
her maids after her went out with timbrels and dances 
rejoicing in the overthrow of the Egyptians. The 
women came out of all cities of Israel singing and danc- 
ing, and as they played said: 'Saul hath slain his ten thou- 
sand and David his ten thousand,' David himself 'danced 
before the Lord.' In all of these there was nothing of 
lasciviousness or impropriety. They were devout ex- 
pressions of joy attended with sacred music. 

"Among all the ancient heathen ceremonies there were 
none held in higher estimation than dancing. Their fes- 
tivals were almost universally concluded with feasting, 
singing and dancing. The sacred fire kept constantly 
burning in the Temple of Vesta, may have some analogy 
to the mystical Council-fire of the Five Nations. With 
the Romans the safety of the city was supposed to be 
endangered by the extinguishment of the vestal flame. 
With the rude sons of the forest we most singularly find 
an almost similar belief. With them the typical expiring 
light of their Council fire forboded the destruction of the 
Nations. And many of them felt this as coming true 
when their principal Council fire at Onondaga, where it 
so long had been held and at Albany were put out in 

I775-" 

Their estimation of time by lunar months was not un- 
like that of the Jews. Another event we may note is 
their signification of proper names. The Jews, says 
one, "were remarkable for their appropriate name for 
individuals, places and things occasioned by the occur- 
rence of some extraordinary circumstances or event. This 
is to a careful reader one of the peculiar beauties of the 
Old Testament and signally illustrated the characteristics 



46 THE ONEIDAS. 

of God's chosen people. The ancient heathen were 
scarcely less remarkable than were the Jews for the 
significance of their proper names. And it has most 
appropriately been said that any person having a thor- 
ough knowledge of our aboriginal names and their deriva- 
tion would be in possession of a perfect key to the his- 
tory of these peculiar people." 

And these customs and observances, we must remem- 
ber, took place long before they came in contact with the 
white people. In referring to them Clarke, in his "Onon- 
daga" from whence we have derived so much upon this 
subject, adds : "These comparisons w r ith the chosen peo- 
ple of God might be spun out to an almost interminable 
length. But we trust enough has been said to show 
that however remote the origin of our aboriginals, or 
from what nation, or country descended, or however 
faulty they may have become in some of their religious 
rites and practices, they have retained in a remarkable 
degree their ancient customs with singular purity and for 
this may very appropriately demand our commendation, 
our sympathy, and our charity." 

James Fenimore Cooper, when writing of the Indians, 
was thought to romance in giving them an altogether 
ideal character. But it was some of these very Six Na- 
tions, as settled in Otsego County, of whom he wrote 
and from whom his father, Judge Cooper, purchased their 
lands and so founded Cooperstown where Fenimore 
Cooper was born, and became familiar with the friendly 
Indians. It was as a naval officer and while stationed 
at Oswego, where some of the Indians still roamed 
about, that he wrote his "Pathfinder," one of his Leather 
Stocking tales. It is gratifying to know that these very 



RELIGIO US BELIEFS. 47 

Indians are now more generally known and that others, 
ere too late, are using their utmost endeavor to write of 
them, perpetuating their memory and inspiring kinder 
usage for those of them left on their scattered reserva- 
tions. 



48 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter IV. 
Councils of the League. 

It may not be without interest to our readers, as well 
as to perpetuate them among other Indian customs, to 
give some account of the Councils by which the Six Na- 
tions were governed. Through them, we find, was exer- 
cised all the legislative and executive authority incident 
to the League and necessary for its security against out- 
ward attacks and internal dissensions. When the 
sachems were not assembled around the general council 
fire the government naturally had no visible existence, 
for in them resided the animating principle by which their 
political machinery was moved. It was in effect the gov- 
ernment. 

These council-fires were figuratively kept burning by 
the Onondagas, the central nation of the Confederacy, 
for over a century, it is thought, before their discovery 
by the Dutch in 1609. To them the sachems, chiefs and 
warriors of the different Nations all hastened on receiv- 
ing word of occasion for council. Their greatest orators, 
too, made ready to address them on behalf of their own 
nation if occasion required. Later, or after their alli- 
ance with the English, the fire of the United Power was 
also figuratively kindled at Albany. There according to 
the Indian figure of speech : "The big tree was planted to 
which the chain of friendship with England was made 
fast." But with the close of the General Council held 
there in the summer of 1775 the fire, which had so long 



COUNCILS OF THE LEAGUE. 49 

been burning, was extinguished. It was the last Indian 
Congress held at the ancient Dutch capital and took 
place at a most important crisis just prior to the Ameri- 
can war. 

"The extreme liberal character of their oligarchy," 
says Morgan, "was manifested through their councils. 
The sachems were not set over the people as arbitrary 
rulers to legislate as they pleased irrespective of the 
popular voice. On the contrary if a public sentiment 
arose on questions of general interest they could give 
expression and force to their national opinion. For in- 
stance if the band of warriors became interested in some 
passing question, they held council apart and having 
given it full consideration they appointed an orator to 
communicate their views to the Sachems of the Nation 
that all might 'be of one mind.' In like manner would 
the Chiefs and even the women proceed if they enter- 
tained opinions which they wished urged upon the consid- 
eration of the General Council. Whenever indeed events 
converged to a crisis the Council fire was the first resort 
and there, under the pressure of danger, or in the glow 
of patriotism, the eloquence of the Indian flowed as pure 
and spontaneous as the fountains of their thousand 
springs." 

The Indian has a quick and enthusiastic appreciation of 
eloquence. Highly impulsive in his nature he is thor- 
oughly susceptible to its influences. Through cultivation 
and exercise of this oratory a way was opened to the 
pathway of distinction. And the chief or warrior gifted 
with its magical power could elevate himself as rapidly as 
he who gained renown upon the war path. "When occa- 
sion arose for council each Nation within its own con- 
fines spread the information far and wide. And in a 



50 THE ONBIDAS. 

space of time astonishingly brief intelligence of the coun- 
cil was heralded from one extremity of the country to the 
other. 

"The Councils were of three distinctive characters," 
says Clarke in his 'Onondaga.' — 'Civil, Religious and 
Mourning.' At the civil or General Council, were set- 
tled affairs connected with the general government of the 
Nations, or to make agreement for action against some 
foreign foe. 'The Religious Councils were to give 
thanks for the blessings of the seasons and they met at 
stated times. To the Great and Good Being they ad- 
dressed their prayers, rendered thanks for success in 
hunting and for victories in war. To Him they offered 
sacrifices and chanted their songs of praise. These 
things they did with a regularity, devotion and rever- 
ence and adhered to them with a tenacity that might put 
to shame some of their white christian neighbors. 

"There were five regular festivals, or thanksgivings 
observed by the League. The first of these festivals was 
held in the spring directly after the season for making 
sugar and was called the 'Maple Festival' They gave 
thanks for the abundance of sap and for the quantity of 
sugar they had been permitted to make. The aged chiefs 
and 'Keepers of the Faith,' addressed the people in ex- 
pressions of thankfulness, urged the necessity of national 
gratitude, and described the course the young men ought 
to pursue in order to merit a continuance of the favor of 
Ha-wah-ne-a. 

"Next was the 'Planting Festival,' designed chiefly as 
an invocation of the Great Spirit to bless the seed, to- 
bacco, corn and other vegetables they had planted for the 
good of all' And this goes to show us that they were not 
lazy, subsisting only upon the pleasures of the chase, as 




.■> 



the Way to ' ' IlCi] 



COUNCILS OF THE LEAGUE. 51 

some portray the Indian. Third was the 'Strawberry 
Festival,' as a thanksgiving for the first fruits of the 
earth. It included other fruits and berries to come later 
and for which they felt reason for gratitude, and to duly 
thank the Great Spirit who watched over them and thus 
supplied all their wants. 

"Fourth was their 'Green Corn Festival' and a great 
jubilee with them, as well as a time of thanksgiving for 
the ripening of the corn, beans and squash. Though 
we have not attempted to give a full description of the 
various festivals and how conducted, we should have 
stated that there was at the close of each festival of 
praise and thanksgiving, feasting, dancing and athletic 
games. But they made more of decorating and feasting 
at their green corn, or harvest festival. 

"After their ceremonies in general council were over 
the women of each nation prepared and set before their 
Sachems, chiefs and braves, as their warriors were 
called, various dishes prepared from the new corn, beans 
and squash. Their favorite dish of succotash was given 
them, green corn in the ear, corn hominy, two or three 
varieties of corn bread and other dishes they were skilled 
in preparing out of their harvest in-gathering, as well as 
fish and game provided them to cook. They also had 
various dances especially adapted to this time of rejoic- 
ing, athletic games and other amusements to prolong their 
pleasure. 

"Fifth, we find placed their great 'New Year Festival' 
with its many ceremonies, among which was sacrificed the 
white dog. Of this festival says one, 'not having any 
idea of atonement for sin their simple impression of the 
sacrifice, through tradition long handed down to them, 
was to send up the spirit of a dog as a messenger to the 



52 THE ONBIDAS. 

Great Spirit, to announce their continued fidelity to His 
service and also to convey to Him their united thanks for 
the blessings of the year. The fidelity of the dog", the 
companion of the Indian as a hunter, was emblematic to 
them of their fidelity. No messenger they thought so 
trustworthy could be found to bear their petitions to the 
Master of Life. They believed also that the Great 
Spirit had made a covenant with their fathers to the 
effect that when they should send up to Him the spirit of 
a dog, of spotless white and without blemish He would 
receive it as a pledge of their adherence to His worship, 
and His ears would be opened in an especial manner 
to their petitions. This sacrifice it was thought, was 
their highest act of piety and there were various 
religious ceremonies connected with it. Though the In- 
dians had no regular priest to conduct their religious 
ceremonies there were 'Keepers of the Faith,' appointed 
in each Nation, and they, though in no wise differing 
from the other chiefs, saw to the annual observances and 
to the handing down from one generation to another 
all their traditionary beliefs and customs. 

"The 'Mourning Councils,' Hu-nun-do-nah-seh, were 
those summoned to 'raise up' Sachems, to fill such 
vacancies as had been occasioned by death, or depo- 
sition. Upon the death of a Sachem the Nation in 
which the loss had occurred had power to summon a 
Council and designate the day and place. 'If for in- 
stance the Oneidas,' says Morgan, 'had lost a ruler they 
sent out runners at the earliest convenient day with 'belts 
of invitation' to the Sachems of the League and to the 
people at large. They were requested to assemble 
around their national fire at Ga-no-a-lo-hale. The invi- 
tation was circulated in the same manner and with the 



COUNCILS OF THE LEAGUE. 53 

same Fpeed as when calling a General Civil Council. 
These belts or strings of wampum sent out on such 
occasions represented the name of the deceased, called 
for a council as well as announcement of the time and 
place.'' 

To those unacquainted with Indian affairs we would 
here say that they regarded no invitation to council, be 
it of what consequence it might, unless attended and 
confirmed by strings or belts of wampum "which," says 
Sir William Johnson, "they looked upon as we do our 
letters and bonds. And therefore no little importance 
was attached to them." Through the laws and usages 
of the Confederacy they were intrusted to one appointed 
for especial preservation of such strings and belts as 
had been "talked into." Usually an Onondaga Chief, 
and near the council-fire, was made "Keeper of the 
wampum." And he was required to be versed in their 
interpretation. 

"When calling the mourning council the name and 
appeal fell not in vain upon the ears of the various tribes 
who were summoned by its runners and belt. There 
was a potency in it which none could resist. It pene- 
trated every seclusion of the forest and reached, as for 
other councils, every Ga-no-sote upon the hill side, on 
the margin of the lakes, or in the deep solitude of the 
woods. No warrior, wise man, or chief failed to hear 
the call to council or to attend if possible. A principle 
within was addressed which was responded to with 
Tespect and veneration for the lost Sachem. 

For these various councils and festivities with which 
they were concluded the Ho-da-ne-sau-nee, or United 
People ever retained a passionate fondness. No inclem- 
ency of season, nor remoteness of place, nor frailty of 



54 THE ONEIDAS. 

age or sex offered impossible obstruction. To that hardy 
spirit which led the Indians to traverse the war path 
of the distant south and west, and leave their hunting 
trails upon the Potomac and Ohio, the distance to Coun- 
cil through their figurative Long House was never too 
great. From every side they bent their footsteps 
towards the council and when the day arrived a large 
concourse of warriors, chiefs, wise men and Sachems ; 
even women and children from the most remote parts 
of their vast territory greeted each other near the Coun- 
cil-fire. 

"The 'Mourning Council,' though, of a more domestic 
character was conducted with many ceremonies. Before 
the day announced, the different Nations entered the coun- 
try, say of the Oneidas, if summoned by them. They 
arrived in separate bands and encamped at a distance 
from the council house. To advance at once would 
have been a violation of Indian usages. Runners were 
sent on to announce its arrival and it remained encamped 
until the Oneidas had signified their readiness for the 
reception. On the day appointed, a formal reception 
ceremony opened the proceedings. The several Nations, 
in separate bands and each one preceded by its civil 
and military dignities, drew simultaneously towards the 
Council-fire and were received and welcomed in a cere- 
monious manner. The Oneidas advanced to meet them 
at a distance from their village where a temporary coun- 
cil fire had been kindled, after which the chief person- 
ages of the advancing bands walked around the fire 
singing the songs of mourning designed for the occasion. 
When the songs were finished the pipe of peace was cir- 
culated. Speeches were exchanged between the parties 



CaUNCILS OP THE LEAGUE. 55 

and the belts of wampum, with which the council had 
been called, were returned. 

"The several bands, on the completion of these cere- 
monies, advanced in file, a funeral procession, and sing- 
ing the mourning songs proceeded to the general coun- 
cil-fire at the Indian village. The people then arranged 
themselves in two divisions. The Mohawks, Onondagas 
and Senecas, who were brother nations to each other and 
fathers to the other three, seated themselves on one side 
of the fire. On the other side were arranged the 
Oneidas, Cayugas and Tuscaroras, who, in like manner 
were brothers to one another, but children to the three 
first. 

"By their peculiar customs, if the deceased Sachem 
belonged to either of the three elder nations, he was 
mourned as a father by the three juniors, and it became 
the duty of these latter to perform the ceremony of 
lamentation prescribed by their usages for the deceased, 
and afterwards of raising up his successor. If on the 
contrary, the departed ruler belonged to either of the 
junior nations, as in the supposed case it was cast upon 
the elder nations the duty of lamenting his death as a 
child in the customary form of installing a successor 
in the vacant sachemship. 

" 'The ceremonies which followed,' says Morgan, 'were 
a succession of musical chants and choruses, intermingled 
with speeches and responses. Upon the whole scene 
rendered wild and picturesque by the variety of richly 
decorated costumes, there rested a spirit of silence and 
solemnity which invested it with singular interest. Up 
to a certain stage of the council neither gaiety nor mirth- 
fulness were exhibited by old or young. The people 
were in mourning for the deceased and rendering the last 



56 THE ONBIDAS. 

act of public respect. When, however, these offices had 
been performed, and the place left vacant among the 
rulers had been filled, the reason for lamentation dis- 
appeared and with it disappeared outward signs. This 
reminds us of foreign countries, and the salutation, 'The 
King is dead. Long live the King.' 

"These observances were performed with the accus- 
tomed gravity and earnestness of the red man ; and were 
in themselves neither devoid of interest nor unadapted to 
impress the mind. The lament was a tribute to the vir- 
tues and to the memory of the departed Sachem. A 
mourning scene in which not only the tribe, but the 
nation of the deceased, but the League itself participated. 
Surely a more delicate testimonial of affection than would 
have been looked for among our Indian predecessors. 

"Customs required the particular tribe in which a 
Sachem had been 'raised up' to furnish a daily entertain- 
ment for the multitude during the continuance of the 
Council it must have been no small drain upon their 
hospitality. The degree of social intercourse between 
the Nations of the League was much greater than would 
at first be supposed. In the pursuit of the chase and of 
conquest, and in attendance upon council they traversed 
the whole territory far and near. Their trails pene- 
trated the forests in every direction and their main thor- 
oughfares were as well beaten as the highways now 
passing over the same lines. 

"The Councils themselves formed a bond of union and 
drew them together instinctively. They furnished the 
excitement and recreation of Indian life, as well as 
relieved the monotony of peace. It was at these gather- 
ings they recounted their exploits upon the war path, or 
listened to the laws and regulations of their ancestors, 



COUNCILS OF THE LEAGUE. 57 

which were explained by their sages in the various 
ceremonials. It was also here that they celebrated their 
athletic games with Olympic zeal ; and joined in their 
national dances, some of which are said to have been 
indescribably beautiful and animated. 

"A belief prevails among them that the custom was of 
divine origin, Sase-ha-wa-Johnson, an Indian Chief, says : 
'The Great Spirit knew the Indian could not live with- 
out some amusement ; therefore, he originated the idea 
of dancing, which he gave to them.' Many of their 
dances have without doubt, been handed down among 
the Iroquois for centuries, transmitted from generation 
to generation until their origin is lost even to tradition. 

' 'The feather dance and the war dance were their two 
greatest performances.' says Morgan. 'One a religious 
the other a patriotic character, and both said to have 
been costumed dances. The dance set apart in a peculiar 
manner for their worship of the Great Spirit at their 
religious festivals, and one of the most spirited, grace- 
ful and beautiful on their list, was known as the Great 
feather dance, O-sto-weh-go-wa. It was performed 
by a select band in full costume and was reserved exclu- 
sively for religious councils and great occasions. It 
lasted about an hour, never failing to rouse a deep spirit 
of enthusiastic excitement. 

"The grave pursuits of the day suspended, as the 
shades of evening began to fall, they all drew up to a 
common repast which the matrons of the tribes had 
prepared. The twilight was given to the feast and the 
evening to the domestic dance and song. The wild notes 
of their various tunes, accompanied to the Turtle shell 
rattle and the drum ; the rattle which entered into the 
costume of the warriors, and the noise of the moving 



58 THE ONBIDAS. 

throng, all united, sent forth a sound of revelry which 
fell with strange accents in the hours of night upon the 
solemn stillness of the woods. This sound of pleasure 
and amusement was continued from day to day, until 
'pleasure itself became satiety' and amusement had lost 
its power to charm. When the spirit of festivity had 
become exhausted the fire of Ho-nun-do-nuk-seh was 
raked together and the several Nations bent their steps 
homeward, through the forests. Silence once more re- 
sumed her sway over the deserted scene as the sound of 
music and voices subsided and the lingering hum of the 
dissolving council died insensibly away." 

This account of the Council-fires has been taken prin- 
cipally from "The League of the Iroquois," a work 
written over half a century ago by Lewis H. Morgan, 
assisted by Ely S. Parker, A-so-no-an-da, an educated 
Seneca Chief from the tribe into which Mr. Morgan had 
been adopted and learned many of their ancient customs. 



CONFLICTS WITH THE FRENCH. 59 



Chapter V. 
Conflicts With the French. 

During a century or more, from the formation of the 
League, the Confederates had tested their power as a 
"United People." It had helped them to subdue their 
fierce and vindictive neighbors in the central part of their 
territory and bring them under subjection. They also 
gained supremacy over various western tribes and were 
expecting to settle down for a time to the enjoyment of 
peace. There were their fishing and hunting expeditions, 
their Council-fires, religious festivals and intercommu- 
nion with one another to pleasantly occupy their time. 
They also had their agricultural pursuits to see to, the 
planting of their tobacco, corn, beans and squash, all so 
necessary to their subsistence. 

It was not long before the Confederates found they 
could not settle down to their more peaceful home life. 
For after a few years of comparative peace there broke 
out the border wars, or frequent conflicts with the 
French. They had a partial possession of Canada, cov- 
eted the beautiful possessions of the Confederates, and, 
too, wished for a better opening through the coun- 
try to dispose of their furs. Two things the Nations 
would not brook and so in defence of their rights, many 
fierce and sanguinary battles took place. Other events, 
we find, tended to increase their enmity towards the 
French. They were in alliance with their ancient ene- 



62 THE ONEIDAS. 

fare was maintained between the League and the French, 
interrupted occasionally by negotiations and brief intervals 
of peace. But as the Indians had possession of both 
banks of the St. Lawrence and the circuit of Lake Erie 
and Ontario and readily intercepted their fur trade, 
which the French were anxious to maintain with the 
western tribes, peace could not long be sustained. 

Upon the fur trade much of the prosperity of the new 
French colony depended. It furnished their chief article 
of export, and yielded the most profitable returns. But 
the war parties of the League ranged through these ter- 
ritories so constantly that it was almost impossible for the 
French to pass in safety through the Lakes, or even upon 
the St. Lawrence above Montreal. Their traders were 
captured, we are told, and the rich furs of the West not 
only became the spoils of the victors, but the traders 
themselves were often led from captivity, perhaps to the 
stake. 

"So great indeed was the fear of these sudden at- 
tacks," says Morgan, "that both the French traders and 
their missionaries were obliged to ascend the Ottawa 
River to the Sault St. Marie and the shores of Lake 
Superior as their outlet. For these reasons the French 
were extremely anxious to detach the Iroquois or League 
from their allegiance to the English. They hoped 
through artful persuasions to gain their alliance or re- 
duce them by conquest. They tried each successively 
and in both were equally defeated. The untractable 
and politic Iroquois were averse to the former, and too 
powerful for the latter." 

On numerous occasions the ambassadors of the League 
were at Montreal and Quebec to negotiate with them for 
the adjustment of difficulties and the exchange of pris- 



CONFLICTS WITH THE FRENCH. 63 

oners. In some of which negotiations the terms of peace, 
or an armistice, were of short duration. The ravages 
committed on the settlements of the French were so fre- 
quent and devastating as to place the colony in imminent 
peril. And it is said, "had it not been for the constant 
supplies from their mother country the French would 
have been overthrown by the League." 

At the same time it must be admitted they took every 
occasion to war against the Indians of the Six Nations. 
On several occasions the French were known to have 
drawn out the whole force of their colony to devastate 
villages of the League. But after the most toilsome ex- 
peditions into the heart of the then wilderness of New 
York they returned without having accomplished suffi- 
cient to reward them for the fatigue and perils of the 
enterprise, the wily Indians, through word from their 
scouts, having invariably secreted themselves in the 
depths of the forests leaving only their deserted lodges 
and fields of corn, upon which the invaders wreaked 
their vengeance by destroying. 

We cannot now recount the various wars and fierce 
conflicts between the French and the Indians of the 
League. Later, when war commenced between the 
English and the French, Frontenac, then Governor of 
Canada, made greater efforts towards the defence of 
Quebec against the attacks of the English. When, for a 
time, they had been successfully resisted Count Frontenac 
again sought to chastise the Indians who had so long dis- 
puted with the French the possession of Canada. In the 
winter of 1692 we find he sent a detachment of 600 
French and a like number of his Indian allies against 
the Mohawks. After traveling through the dense for- 
ests upon snow shoes and encountering almost insur- 



62 THE ONEIDAS. 

fare was maintained between the League and the French, 
interrupted occasionally by negotiations and brief intervals 
of peace. But as the Indians had possession of both 
banks of the St. Lawrence and the circuit of Lake Erie 
and Ontario and readily intercepted their fur trade, 
which the French were anxious to maintain with the 
western tribes, peace could not long be sustained. 

Upon the fur trade much of the prosperity of the new 
French colony depended. It furnished their chief article 
of export, and yielded the most profitable returns. But 
the war parties of the League ranged through these ter- 
ritories so constantly that it was almost impossible for the 
French to pass in safety through the Lakes, or even upon 
the St. Lawrence above Montreal. Their traders were 
captured, we are told, and the rich furs of the West not 
only became the spoils of the victors, but the traders 
themselves were often led from captivity, perhaps to the 
stake. 

"So great indeed was the fear of these sudden at- 
tacks," says Morgan, "that both the French traders and 
their missionaries were obliged to ascend the Ottawa 
River to the Sault St. Marie and the shores of Lake 
Superior as their outlet. For these reasons the French 
were extremely anxious to detach the Iroquois or League 
from their allegiance to the English. They hoped 
through artful persuasions to gain their alliance or re- 
duce them by conquest. They tried each successively 
and in both were equally defeated. The untractable 
and politic Iroquois were averse to the former, and too 
powerful for the latter." 

On numerous occasions the ambassadors of the League 
were at Montreal and Quebec to negotiate with them for 
the adjustment of difficulties and the exchange of pris- 



CONFLICTS WITH THE FRENCH. 63 

oners. In some of which negotiations the terms of peace, 
or an armistice, were of short duration. The ravages 
committed on the settlements of the French were so fre- 
quent and devastating as to place the colony in imminent 
peril. And it is said, "had it not been for the constant 
supplies from their mother country the French would 
have been overthrown by the League." 

At the same time it must be admitted they took every 
occasion to war against the Indians of the Six Nations. 
On several occasions the French were known to have 
drawn out the whole force of their colony to devastate 
villages of the League. But after the most toilsome ex- 
peditions into the heart of the then wilderness of New 
York they returned without having accomplished suffi- 
cient to reward them for the fatigue and perils of the 
enterprise, the wily Indians, through word from their 
scouts, having invariably secreted themselves in the 
depths of the forests leaving only their deserted lodges 
and fields of corn, upon which the invaders wreaked 
their vengeance by destroying. 

We cannot now recount the various wars and fierce 
conflicts between the French and the Indians of the 
League. Later, when war commenced between the 
English and the French, Frontenac, then Governor of 
Canada, made greater efforts towards the defence of 
Quebec against the attacks of the English. When, for a 
time, they had been successfully resisted Count Frontenac 
again sought to chastise the Indians who had so long dis- 
puted with the French the possession of Canada. In the 
winter of 1692 we find he sent a detachment of 600 
French and a like number of his Indian allies against 
the Mohawks. After traveling through the dense for- 
ests upon snow shoes and encountering almost insur- 



64 THE ONBIDAS. 

mountable obstacles they finally reached in safety the 
vicinity of the Mohawk villages. They surprised and 
destroyed three of these, took 300 prisoners, and re- 
turned with the loss of but 30 men. 

Again in 1696 Frontenac conducted an expedition in 
person against the Onondagas and Oneidas with a thou- 
sand French and as many Indians. Having ascended the 
St. Lawrence in bateaux and bark canoes, they coasted 
the western shore of the Oswego river. From thence he 
marched to the Salt Springs near the site of what is now 
Syracuse, and upon the Onondaga valley to the principal 
village near there of the Onondagas. Count Frontenac 
found it deserted, the Indians no doubt having heard of 
the coming expedition against them, fled although well 
fortified with palisades and supplied with stores of corn. 

These palisades or stockades, as they were more famil- 
iarly called, were known to be exceedingly strong and in- 
trenched in them, the Indians were well able to defend 
themselves against any other foe than the deadly firearms 
of the French invaders, hence their taking to the hidden 
recesses of the woods to return only to find their villages 
in ashes and their fields of young corn ruthlessly cut down 
by the soldiers with their sabres. A detachment was then 
sent against the Oneidas under M. de Vandreuil, by 
whom their fields were also laid waste and their homes 
destroyed. After which the French army returned to 
Canada. This, says Morgan, "was the last invasion of 
the territories of the League. A general peace soon fol- 
lowed and continued without interruption until the war of 
1755, which finally resulted in the conquest of Canada by 
the English in 1760." 

Wc cannot turn our thoughts from the French without 
paying some tribute to their Missionaries. Although as 



CONFLICTS WITH THE FRENCH. 65 

we have already seen, the French were at enmity with the 
Indians of the Six Nations, it was during their occupation 
of Canada, and when the English had as yet entirely 
neglected the spiritual welfare of the Indians that the 
French priests were unremitting in their efforts to spread 
Christianity among them. The privations and hardships 
endured by the Jesuit missionaries and the zeal, the fidel- 
ity and devotion exhibited by them in their efforts for the 
conversion of the Indians, are unsurpassed in the history 
of Christianity. "They traversed the forests of America 
alone and unprotected ; they dwelt in the depths of the 
wilderness without sufficient shelter or raiment. They 
passed the ordeal of Indian captivity and the fires of tor- 
ture ; they suffered from hunger and violence in some in- 
stances ; but in the midst of it all they never forgot the 
mission with which they were intrusted." 

The fruits of these labors of Christian devotion were 
long visible among the descendants of the ancient Iro- 
quois. The precepts spread abroad among them by the 
missionaries were instilled in the Indian mind, and some 
of them incorporated into their own religious system. 
This intercourse of the French Jesuits with the Iroquois 
is thought to have furnished, in some respect, the most 
pleasing portion of their history. "It was in 1625," says 
Clarke, "that Jesuit missionaries arrived in Canada pre- 
pared to announce the Gospel to the heathens, among 
whom they counted the Indians. Previously none had 
had intercourse with the aborigines of our land except 
white men in the character of traders, who, we regret 
to add, used every means to overreach and swindle them, 
as they were often shrewd enough to see, but could not 
contend against ; or those who wore the garb of military 
adventurers, prepared to oppress and destroy them." 



66 THE ONEIDAS. 

These sons of the forest now for the first time saw men 
entering their villages whose words breathed peace and 
love ; whose business was only to suffer and to teach 
humility ; whose sword was the cross and whose garb 
was soberness, good will and charity. The privations of 
the wilderness and rigors of the climate were borne with 
fortitude. "Native languages were to be mastered; the 
dispositions and customs of a strange people were to be 
studied and conformed to; and difficulties to be encoun- 
tered sufficient to appal the stoutest heart." They were. 
however, successful for a time in winning many of the 
Indians to their doctrines and faith, and drawing them 
in a measure into some of the practices of a more civilized 
life. 

Though so faithful in their religious missions among 
the Six Nations we regret to say it was found that after 
a time they were exerting their influence to induce the 
Indians to become adherents of the French in preference 
to the colonist and the English, with whom they had so 
long held the chain of friendship. In consequence they 
succeeded with but few of them and lost much of their 
spiritual influence over others of the League. 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE,. 67 



Chapter VI. 
Efforts to Christianise the Indians. 

We have alluded to the French priests and their early 
self-sacrificing efforts among the Indians. But as shown, 
they were of a rather uncertain and migratory nature as 
they sought the Indians in their various villages to bap- 
tise their infants and teach them of the cross and the 
Crucified One. About this time the English, on hearing 
of the efforts of the French priests and the susceptibility 
of the Indians to religious instruction roused themselves 
to greater efforts on behalf of their "Indian wards." 
Other religious bodies were also taking an interest in 
the spiritual welfare of these sons of the forests. 

At quite an early period, however, we find that some 
of the English clergy exerted themselves on their behalf, 
"to lead them to the light of the Gospel." Says Clarke, 
"As early as 1647 Parliament was solicited to aid in so 
beneficent a work, and that body passed an ordinance 
July 27th, 1649, authorizing the organization of a Society 
for the advancement of civilization and Christianity 
among the Indians of New York. Under the patronage 
of this Society schools for a time were established and the 
Gospel was gratuitously preached among the Indians." 

Among those who were foremost in this good work is 
said to have been John Eliot of Massachusetts, and well 
called ; "The great Apostle to the Indians." While min- 
istering for some years to their spiritual necessities he 



68 THE ONBIDAS. 

also spent much time in translating the whole Bible into 
Indian with a Catechism and the Psalms of David into 
Indian verse. Eliot's Indian Bible was the first version 
of the Holy Scriptures ever printed on the American 
continent in 1661 and 1663; firs t the New and then 
the Old Testament. A copy of this Bible is said to 
t>e in the Library of Harvard University. But, 
we must add, that in less than two hundred years 
this Bible, the fruit of many years of diligent labor, 
translated expressly for a people whose salvation was the 
end and aim of the great and good of that era, lives only 
as a literary curiosity on the shelves of a few libraries in 
Christendom. And not a being who now inhabits this 
earth, we are told, can interpret a solitary sentence in it. 
The race for whose benefit these holy words were ar- 
ranged have passed away and with them their religion, 
their literature and even their very names. 

To return to the State of New York where the Six 
Nations still dwelt in their improved wigwams and cabins : 
It was in the year 1700, we find, the Earl of Bellomont, 
then Governor of New York, saw the need of establishing 
some minister of the Church of England to prevent their 
being practiced on by the French Jesuits, he said. Where- 
upon he submitted a report on this subject to Queen Anne, 
who by an order in council sanctioned their proposal for 
the appointment of two clergymen and referred the ac- 
complishment of the plan to the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury. 

Even before this we are told "Lord Bellomont had in- 
tended to build a Fort and Chapel in this country," for no 
one was willing to come here without some such defense 
near by against hostile Indians. The matter was carried 
so far that King William ordered and sent over plate 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 69 

and furniture for a Chapel here. But the design of the 
building- was for some reason abandoned upon the death 
of that monarch, which took place in 1702. 

In referring to this period Air. Merrill says in his 
"People of the Stone" : "Let us relate some reminiscences 
of the early history of the Oneidas, a tribe of the once 
powerful Six Nations. The tribe can boast of being the 
oldest of our Church's Indian Missions, dating from the 
year 1702 and starting under the direction of the Society 
for the Propagation of the Gospel. A mission to them 
was one of the earliest enterprises of that noble society. 
Mr. Robert Livingston, Secretary for Indian Affairs in 
New York, had interviewed the Society on the subject. 
The Rev. J. Talbot had reported to the home authorities 
in November, 1702, that 'The Indians have promised 
obedience to the Faith.' Five of the Sachems or Kings 
told Lord Cornbury at Albany, that 'They were glad to 
hear that the Sun shined in England again since King 
William's death.' ' : "They admired that we should have a 
'Squaw Sachem,' or 'woman king,' but hoped she would 
be a good mother and send them some to teach them 
religion." 

In 1709 we find four of the Iroquois Sachems crossing 
the great seas and presenting an address to Queen Anne, 
with "Belts of Wampum" as sure tokens of the sincerity 
of the Six Nations. They touchingly said : "Since we 
were in covenant with our great Queen's children, we 
have have some knowledge of the Saviour of the world. 
If our great Queen would send some one to instruct us 
they would find a most hearty welcome." The address 
being referred to the then young society it was resolved to 
send Missionaries, to provide for the translations of the 
Bible and Prayer Book in Mohawk, and to stop the sale 



70 THE ONBIDAS. 

of intoxicating liquor to the Indians, "this being the 
earnest request of the Sachems themselves." 

Queen Anne had the Prayer Book translated into the 
language of the Mohawks and music set to some parts of 
it. Along with other tribes the Oneidas shared in the 
ministrations of the Society's first Missionaries. These 
servants of Christ carried on the work with varying suc- 
cess. At one time we read of a "regular sober congre- 
gation among the Mohawks of 500 Christian Indians, of 
whom fifty are very serious communicants." Then again, 
we read of some oppositions and some falling away. As 
now, so then, light and shadow followed each other even 
in the ever brightening day. 

The work of civilizing and Christianizing the natives 
suffered through wars between the French and English, 
but most of all by the bad behavior of the white men, who 
cheated the Indians in trade and ruined them by drink. 
The Missionary reported to the Society, "it is from the 
bad behavior of the Christians here, that the Indians have 
had and still have their notions of Christianity, which 
God knows, hath been generally such that it hath made 
the Indians to hate our religion." He added "the Chris- 
tians selling the Indians so much rum is a sufficient bar, 
if there were no other, against their embracing Chris- 
tianity." 

The evil came along with the good. The effect of the 
firewater on these red men is to madden and brutalize 
them more readily than it does the whites. The toma- 
hawk and scalping knife are slow in their murderous 
work compared with the destroying effects of intoxicating 
drink upon the aborigines. Yet they are not incapable of 
reformation, and sometimes God in his mercy leads them 
to it through their very falls. He makes as He often does 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 71 

with all of us, the stones over which His children have 
stumbled, stepping stones to heaven. The work of God 
never perishes. In spite of many obstacles and set-backs 
the Christianizing of the Red men went on, though the 
Missionaries had to toil and suffer and lay down their 
lives. 

We read of one Andrews, a Missionary to the Mo- 
hawks, walking through the forests to visit the Oneidas 
a hundred miles away, and "lying several nights in the 
woods on a bear skin." This was a common enough oc- 
currence. Sometimes the Indians, it is said stirred up by 
some emissary from the French, or unfriendly Tuscaroras 
from North Carolina, would turn against their leaders 
and desert and mock them. A Missionary had not only 
to bear the pinch of poverty and all the exposure of a life 
in the wilderness, but also the savage attacks made some- 
times upon home and Church. 

The tomahawk and flambeau were not pleasant neigh- 
bors. Nor was the opposition confined to the Indians 
alone. "Those in higher power, it is said, took offence at 
too plain preaching. But when the Rev. Mr. Thorough- 
good Moor, one of their earliest Missionaries, was scan- 
dalized by the conduct of Lord Cornbury, Governor of 
New York, whose administration was known to have been 
so rapacious and disgraceful as to cause him to be re- 
moved after a few years, he felt obliged to refuse to ad- 
minister to him the Holy Communion. For this Mr. 
Moor was arrested and imprisoned in jail. He succeeded 
in escaping and took passage in a vessel sailing for Eng- 
land. As the vessel never reached its destination, it is 
supposed to have foundered in midocean and all on board 
lost. 

Rev. Mr. Merrill gfives a different version and cause for 



72 THE ON BID AS. 

this arrest and one that quite turns the table upon Mr. 
Moor as the accused one. Possibly it may have been so 
reported at the time as a reason for the imprisonment of 
the good man. Mr. Merrill says : "Lord Cornbury, the 
royal Governor at New York, whom Col. Morris charac- 
terizes as a 'man certainly the reverse of all that was 
good,' summoned Mr. Moor, one of the Missionaries, be- 
fore him. Mr. Moor had rebuked him for some of his 
openly scandalous conduct. The Governor probably to 
retaliate had Moor arrested and imprisoned in Fort Anne. 
What do you think was this good man's offence? The 
alleged irregularity of 'the celebrating the Blessed Sacra- 
ment as often as once a fortnight,' which frequency he, 
the Governor, was pleased to forbid." 

In 1749 we find the Indians ministered to by one Rev. 
J. Ogilvie, who attended the troops in the expedition to 
Niagara. Almost all the Six Nations co-operated. The 
Indian fighting men numbered nine hundred and forty. 
He records that he "officiated constantly to the Mohawks 
and Oneidas who regularly attended Divine Service." 
Twelve of the Mohawk leaders fell in the battle at Lake 
George, six of them regular communicants. "When at 
home," writes another missionary, the Rev. J. Stuart, 
"the Indians regularly attend service daily, and when out 
hunting some would come (of course on foot) sixty miles 
to communicate on Christmas Day. The Revolution 
brought its embarrassments and its trials and hinderances 
to the Church's progress. The Mohawks and others 
abandoned their property, and their dwellings, under a 
sense of loyalty to the crown, and eventually took shelter 
in Canada. Those who remained were left without regu- 
lar ministrations for some years." 

Queen Anne is said to have had the good of the then 







-*- ^w;%^ 



Queen Anne's Indian Chapel, Built In 1713 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 73 

Five Nations at all times very much at heart and sought 
by various means to rouse their minds to a sense of relig- 
ious duty according to her beliefs and way of worship, 
for, as it has already been shown, the Indians of the 
League were at no time heathens only so far as they were 
still ignorant of the Triune God and the great Atonement. 
And it was these deeply essential truths they were to be 
taught. Indeed the Queen took no ordinary interest in 
their spiritual welfare, and among proofs of her benefic- 
ence she ordered the erection of a neat and commodious 
Chapel in the Mohawk settlement and the gift of a valu- 
able Communion service to that people. A set was at the 
same time ordered for each of the other four Nations 
when ready to receive them. But unhappily it appears 
that only the Mohawks received theirs. This set was 
composed of five pieces, one chalice, two flagons and two 
patens of plain, pure and massive silver, and each piece 
bears the inscription, "The gift of her Majesty Anne, by 
the grace of God of Great Britain, France, Ireland and the 
plantations of North America, Queen, to her Indian 
Chapel of the Mohawks." 

Queen Anne's Chapel was built in the centre of Fort 
Hunter ; so named, we are told, after Governor Robert 
Hunter, who, with one or two others, had visited 
England and her Majesty and petitioned for some Church 
help being sent to the Indians. They specified to have a 
fort and Church or Chapel erected at the Indian Castle 
at the junction of the Schoharie and Mohawk rivers, 
called Tiononderoga. This she promised to do. In 1710 
he carried instructions to build forts and chapels for the 
Mohawks and Onondagas. These orders were carried 
out as far as the Mohawks were concerned ; but as we 
have already said the Onondaga Chapel was never built. 



74 THE ONBIDAS. 

The walls for the fortification were formed of logs well 
pinned together, twelve feet high, the enclosure being one 
hundred and fifty feet square, surrounded by palisade of 
the fort and in the centre of the enclosure stood the his- 
toric edifice known as Queen Anne's Chapel. It was 
erected by the builders of the Fort, in fact part of their 
contract. It was built of lime stone, was twenty-four feet 
square, and had a belfry. The ruins of the fort were torn 
down at the beginning of the Revolution and the Chapel 
surrounded by heavier palisades ; block houses being built 
at each corner on which cannons were mounted. "This 
Chapel, or substantial stone chapel," says Mr. Reid in his 
"Mohawk Valley" "stood until torn down in 1820 to make 
room for the Erie Canal." The parsonage, as it was then 
called, was still standing, we hear, in 1849. It was in 
sight of the canal about half a mile below Schoharie. An 
antiquated building, two stories high. 

It has been found that a Communion service used at St. 
Peter's Church, Albany, in 1751, bore this inscription: 
"The gift of her Majesty Anne by the grace of God, of 
Great Britain, Ireland, France and of her plantations in 
North America, Queen to the Indian Chapel of the Onon- 
dagas. A. R. with coat of arms." This Communion set 
which was very heavy, numbered six pieces — one chal- 
ice, two flagons, and three patens. From this it would 
seem that good Queen Anne had contemplated the erec- 
tion of a chapel among the Onondagas and the furnish- 
ing it with a suitable service, and probably the same in 
time to the Oneidas and others of the Six Nations. 

"Why," says Clarke, "the plan was given up, or the 
valuable plate already designed for the Onondagas re- 
ceived another destination is now probably past explana- 
tion unless it be as follows, and merely presumed. On 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 75 

the plate presented to the Mohawks the date is 17 12, the 
two sets were undoubtedly ordered at this time. But as 
yet there had been no chapel erected for the Onondagas 
so the probability is the date was omitted at the period 
of its manufacture to be engraved at the time it should be 
proper to present it to this people. And it is also highly 
probable that the Missionary entrusted with its care was 
at the same time instructed to effect the building of a 
chapel for the Onondagas but failed to do so. 

"Frequent mention is made in the London documents of 
the anxiety of the Home Government to effect this ob- 
ject. St. Peter's of Albany was organized in 1716, 
Queen Anne had passed away in 1713, and as the Chapel 
for the Onondagas was not built, as anticipated, the valu- 
able memento of a Sovereign's kindness was lost to them 
and retained in Albany." For the same reason, unpre- 
pared to receive it, the Oneidas doubtless failed to have 
their proposed set. Though it has been said the Oneidas 
were the first of the Six Nations to receive Church in- 
structions it is evident to most of our writers that it was 
the Mohawks who were first cared for, possibly through 
some especial influence used on their behalf. The 
Oneidas, of the same dialect, however, and at about the 
same time, shared in the use of their translation of the 
Bible and in their ministrations until shortly after, when 
they had a faithful Church clergy of their own to care for 
them. 

Some years later or after the war we hear of this 
valuable Communion service to the Mohawks as being di- 
vided when their Nation left the State of New York. 
They had made themselves so obnoxious to the Colonists 
by their strong adherence to the Crown that at the break- 
ing out of the American war one party of the Mohawks 



76 THE ONEIDAS. 

fled to Niagara. They were under the lead of the noted 
Mohawk Chief, Captain Joseph Brant, or Thayendanegea, 
and eventually settled on Grand River. The other party 
under Captain John Darerontyon settled in Lower Can- 
ada, first at La Chine and eventually at the Bay of 
Quinte ; where, after the war they built themselves a 
church. "The Indian Church at the Bay," we are told, 
"was originally a square building used both as a School- 
house and a place of worship, but as their congregation 
increased it was lengthened and a spire and belfry added, 
after which it was confined to sacred purposes exclusive- 
ly." It stood on a gentle elevation on the borders of the 
Bay of Quinte. The spot selected for its location is a 
beautiful one and does credit to the taste of its founders. 

"The first real cottages of the Indians, which have since 
mostly fallen to decay," wrote Mr. Morgan in 1851, 
"stood along the margin of the Bay with the Church in 
the centre forming what was called 'The Mohawk Vil- 
lage.' ' : The occupants of these cottages subsisted partly 
by tilling the soil and partly upon the chase and fishing. 
But the rapid settlement of the adjacent township and the 
increase of steamers upon the Bay so diminished their last 
resources that their descendants were obliged to dispose 
of the tract and seek a livelihood by the more laborious, 
but certain process of farming. 

In 1843 this portion of the Mohawks resolved on re- 
placing their old Church, becoming very much worn and 
dilapidated, with a new one of stone, just as their 
brethren of the Oneidas have since done on their Reserva- 
tion near Green Bay, Wis., as our frontispiece will show. 
Of their self-sacrificing efforts to build this beautiful 
Church we will speak later. 

The stone Church of the Mohawks has been very much 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 77 

admired as well for its elegance of structure as for the 
beauty of its site. It is furnished with a neat Altar piece 
containing the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten 
Commandments in the Mohawk language — a lovely way 
to perpetuate their race and language. It is said to be 
beautifully surmounted by the royal arms of England, 
handsomely carved and gilt, also has a fine toned bell cast 
in 1787. These last were the gifts of his Majesty George 
the III. and were brought to them from England by the 
late Sir John Johnson. Besides what has already been 
mentioned they have in their possession a part of the plate, 
two pieces, a flagon and paten originally given them by 
Queen Anne. The gift, as we have already said, was first 
intended for the Mohawks collectively, but had been di- 
vided, and a part, three pieces retained by their brethren 
at Grand River. 

As a whole set it had been confided to the care of the 
Chiefs of the Mohawk Nation for at least over a hundred 
and thirty-five years and was in perfect preservation. 

Even the linen cloth for the Altar, beautifully in- 
wrought with devices emblematical of the rank of the 
royal giver, although unfit for use, was still in such a state 
of preservation as to admit of their being easily traced. 
The gray haired matron found at that time, 1843, a direct 
descendent of the early Chief to whose care the full set 
had first been intrusted, kept guard over the remaining 
treasures and considered them sort of heirlooms of her 
family and race. And she accounted for the mutilated 
state of the cloth by observing that "during the Revolu- 
tionary War it was buried to prevent its falling into the 
hands of their enemies." Scattered and subdivided ; what 
a trial it must have been to them all to give up their 
beautiful territory, throughout the State of New York, 



78 THE ONEIDAS. 

their Church, and their Confederacy. A "United Peo- 
ple" for centuries. 

We hear of a pathetic and amusing story incident as oc- 
curring when a good old Onondaga Chief was first urged 
to sell even a small portion of their lands. It is given us 
by Mr. Clarke in his interesting "Onondaga." 

"Oun-di-a-ga was a Chief of the Bear tribe and for a 
long period first civil Chief of the Onondaga Nation. He 
was also a famous war captain, and on account of his 
superior martial abilities was at an early age selected for 
that important office. After the Revolutionary War 
when civilization was encroaching more and more upon 
some of their settlements Oun-di-a-ga felt bitterly op- 
posed to giving up any of their lands. It is said in no 
instance was he ever known to countenance any act con- 
veying any part of the Indian domains, nor does his name 
appear in any of the treaties made by his people. 

"A gentleman who supposed he possessed some influ- 
ence over this great chief of the Onondagas called upon 
him for the purpose of convincing him that for once it 
would not be wrong for him to give his consent that a 
very small portion of these lands be conveyed to the 
whites : 'For,' said the gentleman, 'you will scarcely 
know or miss it.' The chief was non-yielding. The gen- 
tleman pressed him to give a reason. Oun-di-a-ga in- 
vited him to take a seat beside him on a log some twelve 
feet long. They sat down together. Oun-di-a-ga at one 
end, the gentleman quite near him. 

"The chief began an animated conversation about the 
first encroachments of the white people, talked of their 
cupidity and avarice and of their overreaching the Indian 
in trade. At the same time he moved up so close to his 
guest as seriously to incommode him and he was therefore 



EFFORTS TO CHRISTIANIZE. 79 

obliged to move more and more toward the centre of the 
log. The chief still kept engaged in eloquent and spir- 
ited conversation, occasionally complaining of the en- 
croachments of the whites at the same time crowding so 
adroitly that the gentleman had not the slightest suspi- 
cion of any particular design. The white man at length 
found himself at the end of the log farthest from where 
he had first sat down with scarcely room to sit. He 
looked earnestly at the face of Oun-di-a-ga and asked 
what he meant. At the same instant the Chief gave one 
tremendous lurch and pitched his guest clear off the log 
and laid him sprawling on the ground. 

' 'There/ said the Chief, 'you white people if allowed 
permission to sit down upon us on a little piece of ground 
on our borders, you keep crowding up, crowding up, till 
the Indian's land is very small. And finally we shall in 
a very few years be entirely driven from our land, piece 
by piece, without anything to help ourselves with as you 
have been crowded from this log. We shall, too, soon be 
at your mercy as you were at mine. Oun-di-a-ga will 
never consent to part with one foot of our lands. Go tell 
your people so !' " 

The wise Chief's predictions have proved almost 
signally true. As Morgan says : "The Iroquois were our 
predecessors in the sovereignty, our country they once 
called their country, our rivers their rivers, our hills and 
valleys were theirs also. Before us they enjoyed the 
beautiful scenery spread out between the Hudson and 
Niagara in its wonderful diversity from the pleasing to 
the sublime. Before us were they invigorated by our 
climate, and were nourished by the bounties of the earth, 
the forests and the streams. The tie by which we are thus 
connected carries with it the duty of doing justice to their 



80 THE ONEIDAS. 

memory by preserving- their names and deeds, their cus- 
toms and institutions lest they perish from remembrance. 
We cannot wish to tread ignorantly upon those extin- 
guished Council-fires whose light in the days of aboriginal 
dominion was visible over half a continent." 



RUMORS OF WAR. 81 



Chapter VII. 
Rumors of War. 

Trouble was now brewing between England and 
America. From the close of the French war until the 
beginning of the Revolution there was a time of general 
peace among the Confederates. They were at this time 
greatly favored with a kind and considerate Superintend- 
ent appointed by the Crown. Between the years 1750 and 
1775 Sir William Johnson had supervision of the Six Na- 
tions. He endeavored to keep them in peace and ever 
urged them to be loyal to the Americans as well as to the 
English, with whom they held a covenant chain of friend- 
ship. And as soon as he saw the clouds gathering and 
war likely to break out between the two countries he 
urged the Indians to remain neutral. "You," he said,, 
"have nothing to do with the trouble between the Na- 
tions." 

Of Sir William Johnson we are told that as Superin- 
tendent over the League they were well cared for. From 
various reports we find him highly esteemed as a good 
and noble man, ever ready to settle grievances between the 
Indians, or to right their wrongs as far as possible. They 
had only to go to Johnson Hall when he would receive 
them kindly, entertain them with true hospitality and lis- 
ten patiently to their troubles. His home was open to 
them at all times, night or day. Sir William indeed had 
their spiritual as well as temporal welfare at heart, and is 



82 THE ONBIDAS. 

said to have expended the whole weight of his influence 
and energies for the advancement of Christianity and edu- 
cation among the Indians of the Six Nations. 

Through Sir William Johnson's efforts Missionaries 
and catechists were welcomed among them, schools estab- 
lished and a Church was also built. These efforts for the 
Indians seem to have been blessed, for we hear of many 
of the Oneidas, Mohawks and individuals from among the 
other Nations as being converted to Christianity. His 
last act was for them. An exciting contest on their behalf, 
it is thought, caused a sudden attack of apoplexy which 
terminated his life. He passed away in 1774 greatly be- 
loved and deeply mourned by all who knew him. 

St. John's Church, twice rebuilt, was first erected 
through Sir William Johnson's influence as early as 1760. 
Says Mr. Max Reid in his "Mohawk Valley," "it was lo- 
cated on the ground now known as the old Colonial grave- 
yard on Green Street." The spot was later marked by a 
Cross to indicate the location of the first Church, at which 
time appropriate services were held in the new Church 
and where the cross stood near by. For this undoubtedly 
was the spot where the early Missionaries officiated, divid- 
ing their time between Queen Anne's Chapel at Fort 
Hunter and the Church at Johnstown. The second and 
enlarged Church is supposed to have been erected in 1771- 
1772. When rebuilding the Church Sir William gave 
the two acre lot on which it stood, also a glebe of forty 
acres on the southeast side of the village. It was to this 
new Church Sir William's remains were taken at his 
death. 

After the Revolutionary War we hear of a struggle for 
this Church and glebe between the Presbyterians and the 
Episcopalians. It seemed that Sir William never legally 




Sir William Johnson. Bart.. 1715-J7M 




St. John's Church, Johnstown, with Grave of Sir William Johnson 



RUMORS OF WAR. 83 

conveyed the title to the property, which at his death re- 
verted to his son, Sir John Johnson. After the confisca- 
tion of his estate the Presbyterians, who then occupied 
both Church and glebe, laid claims to them. Legislature 
confirmed their claims to the glebe, but allowed the 
Church to revert to its original owners. Unfortunately it 
was destroyed by fire in 1836, and under the chancel was 
found the tomb of Sir William Johnson. In rebuilding 
the Church its location on the lot was changed, the front 
being East, this change left the tomb of Sir William out- 
side the walls of the Church, and its location for a time 
was lost. 

"The tomb, however, was discovered," says Reid, "in 
1862 by the Rev. Mr. Kellogg, then Rector of St. John's. 
The vault was found in good condition except that a few 
bricks of the roof had fallen in. A plain gold ring bear- 
ing the date June 16, 1739, was found in the vault, also 
the bullet which he received in the battle of Lake George 
and which had never been removed. The ring is supposed 
to have belonged to his wife, Catherine Weisenburg, and 
worn by him after her death. The portions of the skele- 
ton remaining were sealed up in a granite Sarcophagus 
and restored to the tomb with appropriate ceremonies con- 
ducted by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Potter of the State of New 
York, June 7, 1862. The grave may yet be seen outside 
of St. John's Church south of the entrance," adds Mr. 
Reid, who favors us with its illustration. 

We also present an illustration of Old Fort Johnson, 
the home of Sir William Johnson. It was built in 1742 
and originally was surrounded by a tract of land a mile 
square. At present about twenty acres of land and the 
stone mansion is all that is left. One, in describing it, 
says : "I never look eastward without seeming to behold 



84 THE ONBIDAS. 

its gray stone walls with their windows and loopholes ; its 
surrounding stockade of logs, its two small forts on either 
side, its barracks for the guard upon the ridge back of 
the grist mill, built at the same time, and its accustomed 
group of grinning black slaves, all eyeballs and white 
teeth ; of saturnine Indians in blankets and of bold faced 
traders, to say nothing of squaws and children." There 
were plenty of squaws and children at the Fort in war 
times, as Sir William often took care of the families of 
the warriors when on the war path. 

Fort Johnson has its ghost story. Mr. Almarin T. 
Young, who was born at Fort Johnson in 1852 says that 
the Northeast room in the rear of the house upstairs was 
called "the spook room." And as a child he never went 
inside of it. It was supposed that one of Sir John John- 
son's slaves haunted the place to obtain valuables left be- 
hind at the flight of the household. The true history 
later disclosed was that undoubtedly there was hidden in a 
secret place of a paneled chimney closet of the room some 
rich treasures. At times certain noises were kept up to 
frighten intruders away until one who had the secret of 
the spring came and privately removed the treasures, 
after which the ghost was laid. 

Says Mr. Reid in his "Mohawk Valley," and who 
kindly permits us use of his illustration : "The interior and 
exterior of the house are practically the same as when 
vacated by Sir John Johnson. Of course, the stockade of 
logs, that formerly surrounded the building, and the two 
small forts for defense in front were destroyed years ago, 
probably soon after the French War, but the house pre- 
sents the same appearance that it did when erected. The 
high peak roof with its two rows of dormer windows was 
formerly covered with sheet lead. This lead, with the 




WOLF HOLLOW 
One of the wildest and most charming drives in the 
valley of the Mohawk 



RUMORS OF WAR. 85 

window weights, was used for bullets during the Revolu- 
tion. The lead covering of the roof was replaced with 
shingles, but the weights were never replaced. Subse- 
quently, the shingles were removed for the substantial 
slate roof of the present day. The size of the building, 
we are told, is forty feet deep and sixty feet front and 
rear and two stories high, with a lofty attic. The hall is 
grand in proportions, being thirty feet long, fifteen feet 
wide and about ten feet high, with paneled walls and 
broad oaken stairway with plain mahogany baluster and 
rail leading to the lofty attic above. The baluster bears 
the slash of a hatchet made in anger by Capt. Joseph 
Brant in descending the stairs after a heated interview 
with his sister, Mollie." 

The rooms on either side of the wide hall are large in 
proportion. Says Mr. Reid, "We can easily imagine such 
a building being presided over by a Dutch Matron of 
Colonial days with snowy cap and kerchief, but the 
thought of Mollie Brant and her dusky brood and perhaps 
slovenly relatives, scattered through these grand rooms 
seems somewhat out of place." 

Near the front of the main entrance to the house, there 
is a slab of brown stone, the edges of which evidently 
have been dressed by a carver's chisel from an ovolo 
moulding, giving the slab the appearance of having been 
prepared for the top of a small tomb or sarcophagus, such 
as is frequently seen in the old countries. The stone is 
supposed to have been prepared by Sir William in mem- 
ory of Catherine Weisenburg, his true wife, though her 
exact resting place is not known. 

Sir William's successor, Sir John Johnson, was a man 
of a totally different character. He was of a more stern, 
impatient and warlike disposition than his father. While 



86 THE ONEIDAS. 

Sir William had ever been kind and forebearing with the 
Indians, using his influence to have them remain neutral if 
war should break out, Sir John and his brother-in-law, 
Guy Johnson, on the contrary did their utmost, assisted 
by the Butlers, to induce the Mohawks and others of the 
Six Nations to take up the hatchet for the English. 

Although as a League they had been at enmity with 
the French and so readily sided with the English; all 
were not at once willing to take up arms with them 
against the Americans. So a Council was called to talk it 
over and see if they could not "be of one mind." When 
the question of declaring for the English came before the 
Council an Oneida Chief with much eloquence opposed 
the measure as unwise and inexpedient as well as dis- 
loyal to America. Thus, firmly resisted, the war meas- 
ure was defeated as an act of the League, unanimity being 
one of the fundamental laws in the legislation of the Con- 
federacy. 

But events at this time had greatly impaired and weak- 
ened the Confederacy. After the steady encroachments of 
the whites, the too free use of fire water, and from other 
causes their power and number had somewhat decreased. 
Their political existence as an independent people was 
drawing to a close. It was then found impossible, under 
the pressure of circumstances, to adhere to the ancient 
principles of the League. And it was finally determined 
to suspend their rule that each Nation might engage in 
war upon its own responsibility. So ultimately the Mo- 
hawks, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas took up arms 
for the English, while, with but few exceptions, the 
Oneidas and Tuscaroras were for remaining neutral. 
Some of the Nations, however, especially the Mohawks, 
were said to be so interlinked with the British that neu- 



RUMORS OF WAR. 87 

trality semed almost impossible. And, says Col. Stone, 
who writes interestingly of that period, "no doubt exists 
as to the fact that the Superintendent then over them, by 
his speeches and stern words succeeded in further aliena- 
ting the affections of the majority of the Indians from the 
American cause, if it did not induce them to immediately 
join the ranks of the invaders." 

"Now when all the circumstances of their case and 
position are dispassionately considered is it at all surpris- 
ing that their inclinations were favorable to the Crown ?" 
asks a friend of the red man, then adds : "On the contrary, 
the wonder is that Col. Guy Johnson did not succeed in 
carrying with him all the Oneidas and Tuscaroras, too. 
And he probably would have done so but for the salutary 
though indirect influence of the Rev. Samuel Kirkland, a 
Missionary among the Oneidas, and their noble Chief 
Skenandoah." 

With regard to the Indians of the Six Nations it must 
be considered that they had been in alliance with Great 
Britain during a period of more than a hundred years. 
In their wars against the French, allied with their im- 
placable enemies, the Algonquins, they had been assisted 
by the English, or fighting side by side with them. And, 
too, for a long series of years Sir William Johnson had 
been their counsellor and friend, consulted by them in all 
their affairs as an oracle. They had drawn their supplies, 
allowed by the English, through him and his agents, and it 
was natural that upon his decease their affairs if not their 
affections should be transferred to his successor in office. 

At this time Col. Guy Johnson was sustained by the 
powerful aid of Joseph Brant, in a way related to him, 
and who, united to the advantages of education had the 
native sagacity of his race. Added to this the cause was 



88 THE ONEIDAS. 

considered if not desperate, at least as of doubtful nature ; 
while the unenlightened Indian had been taught to bear 
the name of the King in great reverence and to believe 
him all powerful. They considered the officers of the 
Crown their best friends and it was but natural that they 
should hold on to the great chain of friendship they had 
so long labored to keep bright between them. The nature 
of the war, too, was not understood by the Indians. 
Even the Oneidas, to whom it had been in a measure 
explained, said they "could not understand the war. It 
seemed to them like a quarrel between brothers." 



REV. SAMUEL KIRK LAND. 89 



Chapter VIII. 
Rev. Samuel Kirkland. 

"Among the friendly Oneidas," says Halsey, "the most 
interesting and celebrated was Skenandoah, one of the 
accomplished warriors of their Nation who for years 
after the Revolution continued to be known as 'the white 
man's friend.' The Rev. Mr. Kirkland had converted 
him before the Revolutionary War and he remained a 
Christian ever after, living to the advanced age of a hun- 
dred and ten years." Col. Stone also pays a tribute to 
fiim as assisting Mr. Kirkland in dissuading the Oneida> 
from listening to Col. Johnson to favor the English, and 
speaks of him as "their noble Chief, the sagacious Sken- 
andoah, always the warm and unwavering friend of the 
Colonists." Direct descendants, and bearing the same 
name, still dwell among the Oneidas on their Wisconsin 
Reservation. 

The Rev. F. W. Merrill gives us the following interest- 
ing account of their ancestor : "A conspicuous chief 
among the Oneidas was Skenandoah, whose heroic figure 
stands out so prominently on the side of the English in 
the French and Indian wars. He had not as yet felt the 
touch of any kindly guidance, or moulding influence and 
as a savage among savages was fierce and revengeful. 
He came, too, under the influence of liquor and one morn- 
ing found himself fallen and despoiled of all his chieftain's 
ornaments. In fact robbed of almost every stitch of 



9Q THE ONBIDAS. 

clothing. So chagrined and mortified was he, and his 
pride so humbled that he vowed from that day no drop of 
' strong water ' should pass his lips, a determination from 
which nothing could move him during the sixty remain- 
ing years of his life. On one occasion, in his old age, 
when addressing his people he is said to have thus ad- 
jured them : "Drink no 'strong water,' it makes you mice 
for the white men who are cats. Many a meal have they 
eaten of you !' " 

In 1775, or near the beginning of the war, we hear of 
Skenandoah, with other chieftains of the Nations, going 
to Albany to be present at a treaty between the Colonial 
authorities and themselves. During the American Revo- 
tion, he played an important part. Harold Frederic 
states that he was present among Herkimer's forces at the 
battle of Oriskany, and also that he was the avenger who 
breasted the swollen waters of West Canada Creek, that 
bleak day in late October, 1781, and killed the infamous 
Tory, Walter Butler. He it was who warned the Settle- 
ment of German Flats, of the intended descent of Brant 
and his Mohawks, and thus saved the inhabitants from 
massacre by giving them ample opportunity to seek the 
protecting shelter of Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton. 
Washington is said to have commended his services. 

After the Revolution he was unquestionably first among 
the Oneida Sachems. Twice his name appears attached 
to treaties made at Fort Stanwix between the Six Nations 
and the Government of the United States. Skenandoah 
was of commanding figure and a man of great eloquence 
and solid judgment. From his interest and sympathy 
with the white people, from his fidelity to all his engage- 
ments with them, he was distinguished among the In- 
dians by the appellation of the "White man's friend." He 



REV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 91 

became a Christian soon after the establishment of the 
mission to the Indians by the Rev. Samuel Kirkland, 
about the year 1764. His Christian character was re- 
markably strong and well defined. A short time before 
his death, he thus expressed himself to a friend: — "I am 
an aged hemlock ; the winds of an hundred winters have 
whistled through my branches ; I am dead at the top. 
The generation to which I belonged have run away and 
left me ; why I live the Great Good Spirit only knows ; 
pray to my Jesus that I may have patience to wait for my 
appointed time to die." 

Skenandoah died at Oneida Castle on the nth of 
March, 1816, aged no years. An account of his death 
was given in the Utica Patriot. "The old chief heard 
prayers read by his great-granddaughter who sat at his 
bedside, and again expressed the oft-repeated desire that 
his body might be laid to rest beside his friend and min- 
ister, Mr. Kirkland, ''that he might cling to the skirts of 
his garments, and go up with him at the great resurrec- 
tion." When in 1856 Kirkland's remains were removed 
to the cemetery of Hamilton College, Skenandoah's body 
was also transferred thither, so the Christian Minister and 
the Indian warrior now sleep side by side in their graves. 
Above the Chief's resting place the Northern Missionary 
Society erected a monument, upon which is engraved an 
inscription commemorating his virtues and noble deeds. 

We are tempted to linger here and give some account 
of the Rev. Samuel Kirkland mentioned on several occa- 
sions in connection with the League. Among various 
Missionaries who had been among the Mohawks, Oneidas, 
Onondagas few, if any up to this time, we are told, had 
so deeply influenced the Indian for his good as Mr. Kirk- 
land. He was of Scotch descent, born in Connecticut in 



92 THE ONEIDAS. 

1741, his father a Congregationalist minister. For a time 
he studied under the Rev. Dr. Wheelock at Lebanon, 
Conn. In the autumn of 1762 he entered the sophomore 
class at Princeton College, New Jersey. At that time it 
was a place of resort for Indian youths who were anxious" 
to obtain a classical education, and also for those seeking 
to become ministers or missionaries. 

Young Kirkland's studies were pursued with constant 
thought of being a missionary among the Iroquois. While 
at College he made a study of their different languages, 
habits and dispositions and thus became qualified to be 
their spiritual teacher and guide. November, 1764, he set 
out for his mission, spent some little time with Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson at Johnson Hall. On the 16th of January, 
1765, in company with two Senecas he started on foot for 
their settlement. The weather was severe and the 
ground covered with a great body of snow over which 
they had to plod with the help of snow-shoes, the 
young missionary burdened with a pack containing 
clothes, provisions and a few books, in all weighing about 
forty pounds. Their last vestige of civilization left at 
Johnson Hall, everything looked gloomy and forbidding, 
but the fervent heart of the devoted youth beat with hopes 
too high to feel discouraged and with aspirations too holy 
to relent. 

On the fifth day the three arrived at a village of the 
Oneidas where they rested and were refreshed. After- 
wards they proceeded to Onondaga where they remained 
a night and a day. At ten o'clock in the morning a meet- 
ing was held in their Council House, a building nearly 
eighty feet long and containing four "fires." In it there 
were assembled a vast crowd while he explained his mis- 
sion to the Nations. Towards evening they left the 



REV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 93 

Onondagas and proceeded to Kenandasega, the principal 
town of the Senecas. 

We cannot now linger to tell of Samuel Kirkland's 
teaching and work among the Senecas, or of the trials 
and hardships he encountered. In 1766 he was ordained 
at Lebanon and appointed as Indian Missionary and with- 
out delay he hastened to begin his labors among the 
Oneidas, towards whom his heart had been drawn, and 
he remained among them for forty years. He taught 
them the principles of the Christian religion. He made 
himself master of their language and became intimately 
familiar with all their customs and fancies. He greatly 
endeared himself to them by the kindness of his disposi- 
tion, his assiduous attentions and his amiable and sympa- 
thizing spirit. 

In the picture we here give of the good Dominie he 
appears to be intently listening to some Indian tale to give 
advice or sympathy as it may be needed. Mr. Kirkland 
soon gained by these rare qualities the unlimited confi- 
dence of a large majority of the Indians and especially 
two of their principal Chiefs, Good Peter and Skenan- 
doah. They looked upon him as friend and father, and 
all were anxious to hear his words and listen to his in- 
structions. He was especially instrumental in banish- 
ing from the Oneidas that bane of their race, intoxicating 
drinks, an article that had been freely furnished by 
traders and which, through his influence, they were taught 
to reject even as a gift, and when offered have been known 
to say : "It is contrary to the minister's word and our 
agreement with him." 

In 1769 the Rev. Mr. Kirkland was married to a niece 
of the Rev. Dr. Wheelock, under whom he had studied. 
She is said to have been a woman of uncommon energy, 



94 THE ONBIDAS. 

sterling- good sense, a cultivated intellect and devout spirit. 
Her mind was deeply imbued with the principles of Chris- 
tianity and she possessed a deep interest in having the 
Gospel taught to the Indians. She was therefore well 
qualified to be a true helper to her husband and to share 
with him the labors and sacrifices of an Indian Mission- 
ary. 

Again we pass over a few years to 1775 when the Con- 
tinental Congress, July 18th, recommended Commission- 
ers of the Northern Department to employ Mr. Kirkland 
to secure the friendship of the Indians and induce them 
to continue in their state of neutrality with respect to the 
controversy between Great Britain and the Colonies. To 
accomplish this object he took long journeys among the 
different Indians and attended Councils at Albany, 
Oneida, Onondaga and German Flats. At first he was 
encouraged with the prospect of success and felt con- 
fident that the Indians of the Six Nations would not take 
part in the approaching contest. But through the wiles 
and machinations of those most in the interest of the 
Crown, his hopes and expectations were defeated and all, 
but a large portion of his faithful Oneidas and Tusca- 
roras, were ranged in the ranks of the British. 

Of those who exerted most influence over the Nations 
as already said were Sir Guy Johnson, Joseph Brant 
(Thayendanegea), a Mohawk Chief and secretary to Sir 
Guy, and the vindictive Butler. The two, Johnson and 
Butler, also used their utmost endeavor, through false 
representations to have Mr. Kirkland recalled from his 
Mission. They showed uncalled for malignity towards 
the Colonists and in some instances Butler was treacher- 
ous to the extreme. 

At the commencement of the great contest Mr. Kirk- 



REV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 95 

land was indeed obliged to remove his family to Stock- 
bridge, Mass. ; there were fears of danger from hostile 
foes while living in a location likely to become the center 
of sanguinary war. He still, however, continued his 
labors among the Oneidas. His earnest, healthful spirit 
and influence over them it is thought contributed mate- 
rially to secure their neutrality, and in several instances 
the friendship and services of so large a number of the 
Oneidas to the American cause. 

Mr. Kirkland, we find, was so well approved by the Con- 
tinental Government he was appointed as Chaplain to the 
garrison of Fort Schuyler and other forts with rank and 
pay of Brigade Chaplain. When duty permitted he was 
still allowed to continue his labors among the Oneidas. 
In 1779 he was Brigade Chaplain under Gen. Sullivan in 
his Indian campaign, after which he returned to his fam- 
ily. During the remainder of the war he was part of the 
time Chaplain at Fort Schuyler and the neighborhood de- 
voting his services to his country and to the Indians. 

After the close of the War, or in 1784, Mr. Kirkland, 
at the earnest request of the Oneidas, resumed his mis- 
sionary labors among them. At the same time he 
received some pay for especial services during the War. 
Harvard College rendered him some assistance ; and more 
comfortable provision was made for himself and family. 
He was on several occasions appointed interpreter in the 
formation of treaties, and everywhere possessed an influ- 
ence which could not well be dispensed with. The State 
of New York was not unmindful of his valuable services 
to them and the Indians among whom he worked, and 
granted him and his sons, in the neighborhood of Fort 
Schuyler, now Utica, four thousand acres of land. 

During this time as well as previous to the War of In- 



96 THE ONEIDAS. 

dependence, Rev. Samuel Kirkland, or Dominie Kirkland 
as he was more frequently called, labored almost inces- 
santly and in various ways among the Indians. Mr. Pow- 
ell, in his interesting article upon Hamilton College and 
its founder, says that when Kirkland, in 1764, first sought 
the Indians he was asked by a Seneca chief : "What put it 
in your head to leave your father's home and country, and 
come so many hundreds of miles to see us and live with 
us ?" It was impossible for Kirkland to give a diplomatic 
answer to this question ; for the two Confederacies, that 
of the New England and that of the five Iroquois nations, 
were the most nearly equal powers upon the American 
continent. It must be acknowledged that the latter could 
with some degree of consistency have sent embassies to 
the former. But Kirkland answered, with Saxon frank- 
ness, that he came "to teach the Indians the knowledge 
possessed by the whites." 

From the very first, he formed and announced an edu- 
cational conception rather than a purely religious or 
theological. He never acted the part of a mere preacher 
of a new religion. He was adopted into the family of the 
principal Seneca chief, and began his work as the in- 
structor of his tribal father. When the lessons drew upon 
books and writings, the Chief explained that he preferred 
oral instruction, and that not only himself but all his peo- 
ple chose to have as little to do with books as possible. 

Though direct from Connecticut with many of the stern 
New England ideas infused in him, it is thought too great 
honor cannot be given Kirkland for having firmly in view 
two points : first, to enlarge the social outlook of the 
tribes to which his mission sent him, and second, to dis- 
place all proselyting by the noble purpose of establishing 
a basis of moral and ethical principles. He seems at no 



RBV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 97 

time to have had in view a scheme of converting the Na- 
tions to his own notions. It was a broad educational plan 
laid out by a man who respected and understood Indian 
character. 

After the close of the war, or in 1784, when Kirkland 
was again in more active service among the Oneidas, we 
find he tried to reconstruct them. He found the Confed- 
eracy terribly broken up by the conflicts in which they 
had been compelled to share. Their orchards had been 
cut down, their houses burned and their power as a na- 
tion forever destroyed. He was convinced that the only 
way to serve his friends from utter disintegration was a 
thorough system of education. A Council on the subject 
was held with the chieftains and the scheme laid before 
them. One of their orators thus replied: 

"You, my friend, are increasing and we are decreasing. 
Our canoes were once on the rivers and lakes, which are 
now full of your great ships. The land which you bought 
of us for a trifle you now sell for thousands of dollars. 
Your villages and great cities cover the land where once 
rose the smoke of our wigwams. Why the difference ? It 
is the curse of the Great Spirit resting upon us for some 
unknown sin." 

Kirkland answered that the real difficulty was their 
lack of knowledge, industrial, political and religious. 
He argued with them that knowledge is power. His 
plan of schools, drawn up in form, was then ex- 
pounded at length. After full deliberation, the chiefs 
consented to co-operate ; evidently, however, with very 
little faith in great results. Having won the accord of 
the Indians, Kirkland next applied himself to the white 
people for aid. He appealed not only to the people of 
the State, but to his friends in Connecticut and Massa- 



98 THE ONEIDAS. 

chusetts. He also went to Philadelphia to consult with 
Washington, who, through Congress, granted a few thou- 
sand dollars for annual use. 

Timothy Pickering,who was in Washington's Cabinet, 
encouraged and aided by his subscription, and Hamilton 
seems to have also given his name. Samuel Kirk- 
land himself gave besides money the lease of three 
hundred acres of land for the benefit of the school; and 
also gave out and out several acres of valuable land, 
some of it most beautifully situated on a high hill over- 
looking the country for miles in every direction. It is 
now called College Hill. And it was upon these grounds 
that the original Academy was built. 

The scheme as perfected included primary department 
for the youngest and an academic, or High School course, 
for advanced scholars. Says Powell : "Seldom have the 
ideals of Plato's academy found a stronger application 
than here among the dusky tribes in New York." The 
primary school room soon gathered in a large number 
of Indian children. And in time the Academy was at- 
tended by both Indians and whites from beyond the 
border line. "It is a curious fact," says one, "that the 
Oneida Academy created by Kirkland provided for co- 
education, but when transformed into a College, woman 
and her influences were debarred." 

The planting of the campus, now so elegant, was begun, 
it is said, by Kirkland and his daughter, and since by 
others has been created into a very ideal of landscape 
art to surround a college such as its founder scarce 
dreamed of. The little acorn planted in faith has grown 
into a mighty oak; its branches, or students, extend far 
and wide to fill the places of honor. Though the Indians, 
for whom it was originally intended, were not long to 




J? -' 



3 -i i,f'if.|>s"i in 

.jW'.*i, - " '' 



¥ ti 




I 11 I'll 1 M Sill 



Hamilton Academy, Founded in 1TS4 by Samuel Kirkland 




By the College Grounds 



ioo THE ONBIDAS. 

chased in or about 1S1S, and this was rung by a stalwart 
tutor. Gradually the old time campus surrounded three 
college dormitories and a chapel and formed a lofty and 
picturesque scene. 

The establishment of the Academy for the mutual bene- 
fit of the frontier inhabitants and the Indians was the last 
important act of Samuel Kirkland's life. Afterwards, 
however, as long as health and strength would permit, he 
continued his missionary work among the Indians. As 
we now draw to a close, the account of their devoted 
Missionary, Dominie Kirkland, it is sad to state that the 
remaining years of the good man's life were marked with 
peculiar vicissitudes. 

Says Clarke: "111 health, bodily infirmity, pecuniary em- 
barrassments and many painful events occurred. He was 
a man of unbounded benevolence and hospitality. He 
daily supplied the necessities of numbers of his red 
■brethren from his own board. A custom which, though 
burdensome, could not well be departed from. He loved 
the Indians and by them in turn was most sincerely be- 
loved." Among Missionaries it is thought there are few 
who have been more faithful and devoted to the cause of 
truth, or who have made a larger sacrifice, exposed them- 
selves to more perils and hardships, or had their efforts 
crowned with a greater measure of success than the Rev. 
Samuel Kirkland. 

"He lived and acted through a most interesting period 
of our history. He was identified with many important 
events and transactions, and was appreciated by most of 
the great men of the time." He entered into rest Feb. 
28, 1808, in the seventy-eighth year of his age, after 
a short but severe illness and amid the regrets and 
lamentations of all. His remains were conveyed to the 







s, i 



( \ 



SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 



REV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND. 101 

village church at Clinton, and after an appropriate yet 
affecting service, were laid to rest in a private spot near 
his dwelling. On one side of him the remains of his 
wife and daughter, and later, on the other side, were 
placed those of the venerable Skenandoah. 

It was thought that Kirkland at times was as much in- 
fluenced by his Indian friend as the latter was by him. 
Their friendship was one of those fine things that work 
together creating the nobler episodes of history. The 
grand old warrior, a superb type of manhood, and the 
white hero were in all ways co-laborers through life and 
now rest within the Hamilton College grounds. A lofty 
hill overlooks their graves, crowned with a group of hem- 
locks, toward which the chief is supposed to have pointed 
when he uttered that outburst of pathetic eloquence: "I 
am an aged hemlock; the winds of a hundred winters 
have whistled through my boughs." 

In June of 1873, when a monument to them was dedi- 
cated, two great-grandsons of Skenandoah, one a minis- 
ter, and the other a grand sachem, addressed the audience. 

"We" said one of them, "remember the good Kirkland 
as the friend of our fathers. As the sun cometh in the 
morning so he came from the East in 1766 to gladden the 
hearts of my people, and to clothe us with the light of the 
Good Spirit. The Good Spirit reached out of his win- 
dow and took him from us when sixty-nine snows had 
fallen and melted away. At the age of one hundred and 
ten we laid beside him John Skenandoah, the great 
Sachem. Arm in arm as brothers, they walked life's 
trail ; and now they are where nothing can separate them. 
But their deeds will never die. So long as the sun lights 
the sky by day and the moon by night, we will rub the 
mould and the dust from their grave stones and say: 
'Brothers, here sleep the good and the brave.' " 



102 THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter IX. 
The Oneidas Prove Faithful. 

As rumors of war between England and France in- 
creased, not only Sir William Johnson and also their 
friend and adviser, Rev. Samuel Kirkland, urged the 
Indians to remain neutral. But great uneasiness was 
now being felt in other quarters as to the Indians' taking 
up arms for the English. Their mode of warfare was 
cruel and barbarous in the extreme; and, too, they had 
direct intercourse with Canada on the North. Fears 
were therefore naturally entertained that the English 
might be more readily allowed to enter the State from 
that point. Sir John Johnson and Col. Guy Johnson were 
known to be strong Tories and far more likely to induce 
the Indians to join them, than to persuade them, as Sir 
William Johnson had done, to remain neutral. 

During this emergency their Missionary, the Rev. 
Samuel Kirkland, of whom we have already spoken as so 
faithful to the Indians up to the time of his death, was 
appealed to by the Continental Congress. Much to his 
regret he found himself almost powerless to act, for he 
had for some time been threatened with removal if he 
attempted to enter upon State affairs. Joseph Brant, sid- 
ing with Johnson and Butler, was ceaseless in his activi- 
ties. Notwithstanding his former friendship for Mr. 
Kirkland he so feared his influence would be exerted to 
alienate the Indians of the Six Nations from the interests 
of the Crown, and attach them to the colonies that the 



THE ONEIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. 103 

wily chief attempted to obtain his removal. He is known 
to have instigated a dissolute Sachem of the Oneidas to 
prefer charges against the Minister to Sir John Johnson, 
the Superintendent. 

A correspondence then took place between the Super- 
intendent and Mr. Kirkland, in which, it is said, the lat- 
ter sustained himself with dignity and ability. The 
Oneida Nation rallied to his support to a man, so the Su- 
perintendent was obliged for a time to relinquish the idea 
of forcible removal. In some way they must have 
afterwards succeeded in doing so, for to one of the earn- 
est appeals sent him from the Provincial Congress of 
Massachusetts, just before the affair of Lexington and 
Concord he is known to have replied from Cherry Valley. 
They had urged Mr. Kirkland to remind the Indians of 
their treaty in Albany and induce them if possible to re- 
main neutral. An earnest address was also sent to the 
Stockbridge or River Indians, dwelling at Stockbridge in 
the western part of Massachusetts. These Indians after- 
wards became intimate with the Oneidas and finally re- 
moved from Stockbridge to settle near them in the State 
of New York. Mr. Kirkland in reply to one of the ap- 
peals sent him, said : 

"I am much embarrassed at present. You have doubt- 
less heard that Col. Johnson had ordered the removal of 
the dissenting Missionary from the Six Nations till the 
difficulties between Great Britain and the Colonies are 
settled. In consequence of which he has forbidden my 
return to my people of Oneida. He has since given en- 
couragement that I may revisit them after the Congress 
is closed. But to be plain. I have no dependence at all 
in his promises of this kind. He appears unreasonably 
jealous of me, and has forbidden my speaking a word to 



104 THE ONEIDAS. 

the Indians and threatened me with confinement if I 
transgress. All I presume he has against me is a suspi- 
cion that I have interpreted to the Indians the doings 
of the Continental Congress which has undeceived them 
and too well opened their eyes for Col. Johnson's pur- 
poses. 

"I confess to you, gentlemen, I have been guilty of this, 
if it is a transgression. The Indians found out that I 
had received the abstracts of the said Congress and urged 
knowing the contents. I could not deny them, notwith- 
standing my cloth. In other respects I have been ex- 
tremely cautious not to meddle in matters of a political 
nature. I apprehended that my interpreting the doings 
of Congress to their Sachems had done more real good 
to the cause of the country, or the cause of truth and jus- 
tice, than numerous gifts to the Indians could have ef- 
fected." 

Mr. Kirkland undoubtedly spoke the truth. Says Col. 
Stone : "His influence was great among the Oneidas and 
deservedly so. Had he undertaken the task he might 
easily and beyond doubt have persuaded those of his for- 
est charge to espouse the cause of the Colonist. But he 
avoided exerting any other influence than to persuade 
them to adoption of a neutral policy." And from the first 
to remain so was in a great measure, as we have seen, 
their own volition through kind feelings towards the 
Americans, yet strengthened, no doubt, through Mr. Kirk- 
land's interpretations of the proceedings in Congress. 
And of this people of New England were assared by a 
Chief of the Oneidas in an address to Governor Trumbull 
of Connecticut, with a request that he would cause it to be 
known to others of the New England Colonies. 

The Oneida Indians to Governor Trumbull : "Brothers, 



THE ONEIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. 105 

• — as the Stockbridge Indians of New England, who have 
settled in our vicinity, are now going down to visit their 
friends and move up parts of their families that were left 
behind, I send with them this belt. May it open the road 
wide, clearing it of all obstacles, that they may visit their 
friends and return to their settlement here in peace. We, 
the Oneidas, are induced to this measure on account of the 
disagreeable situation of affairs that way. And we hope 
by the help of God they may return in peace. We recom- 
mend them to your favor through their long journey. 

"Now we more immediately address you, our Brother, 
the Governor, and the Chiefs of New England ; Brothers, 
we have heard of the unhappy differences and great con- 
tentions between you and Old England. We wonder 
greatly and are troubled in our minds. But be at peace 
respecting us Indians. We cannot intermeddle in this 
dispute between two brothers. The quarrel seems to be 
unnatural. You are two brothers of one blood. We are 
unwilling to join on either side in such a contest, for we 
bear an equal affection to both, you of Old and New 
England. Should the good King of England apply to us 
for aid we shall deny him. If the Colonies apply we 
shall refuse unless from necessity. The present situation 
of you two brothers is new and strange to us ; we Indians 
cannot find or recollect in the traditions of our fathers the 
like case. 

"Brothers, — For these reasons possess your minds in 
peace and take no offense that we Indians refuse joining 
in the contest. We are for peace. Was it an alien, a 
foreign Nation who had struck you, we should have 
looked into the matter. We hope through the wise gov- 
ernment of the Great Spirit your distresses may soon be 
removed and the dark cloud dispersed. 



106 THE ONEIDAS. 

"Brothers, — As we have declared for peace we desire 
you will not apply to our Indian Brethren in New Eng- 
land for their assistance. Let us Indians be 'all of one 
mind' and live with one another, and you white people 
settle your disputes between yourselves. We have now 
declared our minds ; please to write us that we may know 
yours. Brothers, — we the Sachems and warriors of 
Oneida, send our love to you, Governor Trumbull, and to 
all other Chiefs in New England." 

Thus we see from the first rumors of war how deeply 
opposed the Oneidas were to joining either side. And 
these feelings were strengthened after they better under- 
stood through Mr. Kirkland the true nature of the war. 
The Tuscaroras were of the same mind ; and the Stock- 
bridges, removing to their vicinity, were also willing to re- 
main neutral. And even a large portion of their nearer 
neighbors, the Onondagas, were for a time apparently 
keeping the treaty made at Albany. But war was about 
to be declared between the two Nations, and it was known 
that the fierce and warlike Senecas, Mohawks and 
Cayugas were getting ready to take up the hatchet and 
with Johnson, Brant and Butler go over to Canada to 
join the English there. On learning this the Continental 
Congress, convened at Philadelphia, once more made an 
earnest appeal to the Six Nations and other scattered 
tribes of Indians. 

"Amid all their arduous duties demanding the attention 
of Congress" says Stone, "the importance of keeping a 
watchful eye upon the Indians was universally conceded. 
The position of the Six Nations, as well as their power 
to harm, could not but strike the observation of all. They 
had served as a barrier between the English settlements 
and the French in Canada in former wars and were often 



THE ONEIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. 107 

engaged as auxiliaries. Their position and their ability 
would now be precisely the same between the Americans 
and the English in Canada. It was therefore deemed of 
the first consequence to prevent them if possible, from 
taking sides with the English." The address from Con- 
gress and framed after the manner of the Indian speech 
we cannot now give in full. It is somewhat similar to 
the others in its appeal, but in conclusion they said. 

"Brothers, — In the name and behalf of all our people 
we ask and desire you to seek peace and maintain it. And 
to love and sympathize with us in our troubles that the 
path may be kept open with all our people and yours to 
pass and repass without molestation. Let us both be 
cautious in our behaviour towards each other at this 
critical state of affairs. This Island now trembles, the 
wind whistles from almost every quarter. Brothers, — 
Let us fortify our minds and shut our ears against false 
rumors. Let us be careful what we receive for truth 
unless spoken by wise and good men. If anything dis- 
agreeable should ever fall out between us, the Twelve 
Colonies and you the Six Nations, to wound our peace, 
let us immediately take measures for the healing of the 
breach." 

Every effort was thus made to have the Indians refrain 
from warfare on either side. The Onondagas held out 
for a time after the Mohawks, Senecas and a portion of 
the Cayugas had openly sided with the English ; they then 
became deceitful and treacherous in the extreme. They 
often sallied forth in bands to waylay and kill all with 
whom they came in contact. After they had committed 
various warlike skirmishes against Fort Schuyler, Fort 
Stanwix and other places in their vicinity, Congress again 
sent them an address of great eloquence. 



108 THE ON BID AS. 

"Brothers, — Sachems and warriors. The great Coun- 
cil of the United States call now for attention. Open 
your ears that they may hear and your hearts that you 
may understand. When the people om the other side of 
the water without any excuse sought our destruction and 
sent over their ships and their warriors to fight against 
us, and to take our possessions, you might reasonably 
have expected us to ask for your assistance. If we are 
enslaved you cannot be free. For our strength is greater 
than yours. If they would not spare their own brothers 
of the same blood, would they spare you? If they burn 
our houses and ravage our lands could you be secure ? 

"Brothers, — We acted on very different principles. Far 
from desiring you to hazard your lives in our quarrel we 
advised you to remain still, in ease and peace. We en- 
treated you to remain under the shade of your trees and 
by the side of your streams to smoke your pipe in safety 
and contentment. Though pressed by our enemies and 
when their ships obstructed our supplies of arms and pow- 
der and clothing we were not unmindful of your wants. 
Of what was necessary for our own use, we cheerfully 
spared you a part. More we should have done had it 
been in our power. 

"Brothers, — open your ears and hear our complaints. 
Why have you listened to the voice of your enemies? 
Why have you suffered Sir John Johmon and Butler to 
mislead you? Why have you assisted General St. Leger 
and his warriors from the other side of the great water by 
giving them free passage through your country to annoy 
us, which both you and we solemnly promised should not 
be defiled with blood? Why have you suffered so many 
of your Nations to join them in their cruel purpose? Is 
this a suitable return for our love and kindness, or did 



THE ONEIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. 109 

you suppose that we were too weak, or too cowardly to 
defend our country, and join our enemies that you might 
come in with a share of plunder? What has been gained 
by this unprovoked treachery ? What but shame and dis- 



grace 



"Brothers, — Your foolish warriors and their new allies 
have been defeated and driven back in every quarter ; and 
many of them justly paid the price of their rashness with 
their lives. Sorry are we to find our ancient chain of 
union, heretofore so strong and bright, should be broken 
by such poor weak instruments as Sir John Johnson and 
Butler, who dare not show their faces among their coun- 
trymen. And by St. Leger, a stranger whom you never 
knew ! What has become of the spirit, the wisdom and the 
justice of your Nation? Is it possible that you should bar- 
ter away your ancient glory, and break through the most 
solemn treaty for a few blankets or a little rum, or pow- 
der? That trifles such as these should prove any tempta- 
tion to you to cut down the strong trees of friendship, 
placed by our common ancestors in the deep bowels of the 
earth at Onondaga, your central Council-fire? That tree 
which has been watered by their children, and children's 
children, until the branches had almost reached the skies. 
As well might we have expected that the mole should 
overturn the vast mountains of the Alleghany, or that the 
birds of the air should drink up the waters of the 
Ontario. 

"Brothers, — Oneidas and Tuscaroras: hearken to what 
we have to say to you in particular. It rejoices our 
hearts that we have no reason to reproach you in common 
with the others of the Six Nations. We have experienced 
your love, strong as the oak, and your fidelity unchange- 
able as truth. You have kept fast hold of the ancient 



no THE ON EI DAS. 

covenant chain and preserved it from rust and decay and 
bright as silver. Like brave men, for glory you despised 
danger, you stood forth in the cause of your friends and 
have even ventured your lives for us. While the sun and 
the moon continue to give light to the world we shall love 
and respect you. As our trusty friends we shall protect 
you and shall at all times consider your welfare our own." 

This appeal to the Cayugas and Onondagas was in vain, 
for while they professed to remain neutral, yet in several 
instances they proved themselves treacherous. The 
Oneidas, by precept and example, endeavored to keep 
themselves under restraint, and upon one occasion inter- 
ceded on behalf of a clan of the Cayugas living near them. 
They besought Gen. Stanwix not to destroy the fields of 
those friendly Cayugas, who, if deprived of their corn, 
would fall upon them for support. And they already had 
a heavy burden, they said, upon their hands in the persons 
of the then destitute Onondagas. 

General Sullivan immediately sent a speech in reply 
commending the Oneidas for their fidelity to the United 
States, but expressed his surprise at their interposing a 
word on behalf of any portion of the Cayugas, whose 
course had been marked not only by duplicity, but by 
positive hostility. He therefore distinctly informed the 
Oneidas that the Cayugas should be chastised, as they 
were later. Some of the clans of the Onondagas were 
acting in a similar, treacherous manner, but on being in- 
terceded for it proved equally in vain. It was considered 
that they merited the displeasure of Congress and the 
American Colonies through their treachery. 

While really at heart favoring the Crown they clung to 
their homes, pleasantly situated in the central part of the 
State of New York, where to them had been committed 



THE ONBIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. in 

the Council-fire from time immemorial. And surely could 
either one of the Nations have had greater cause for cir- 
cumspection ? Though vanquished then, through not 
being "all of one mind," some of the Onondagas held to 
their possessions; but not to their treaty. Under these 
circumstances an expedition was sent against them under 
Col. Van Schaick from Fort Schuyler, when they were 
taken by surprise. A chain of their villages extending 
through the valley of the Onondaga Creek for the dis- 
tance of three miles was surrounded. Their villages, con- 
sisting of fifty houses, was burnt to the ground and a 
large quantity of provisions destroyed ; also nearly a 
hundred muskets, several rifles, together with a consider- 
able quantity of ammunition, was carried off as booty, 
left, it is said, by the Onondagas in their hasty flight to 
the woods. 

"At this distance of time" says one of our writers, "this 
expedition against the Onondagas appears like a harsh if 
not unnecessary measure. But notwithstanding the pro- 
fessions of this Nation, those in charge of public affairs, 
at that eventful period unquestionably felt its chastise- 
ment to be the work of stern necessity. General Schuyler 
had written that unless some exemplary blow should be 
inflicted upon the hostiles of the Six Nations, Schenectady 
would shortly become the boundary line of the American 
settlement in that direction. The enterprise against the 
Onondagas moreover had the sanction of General Wash- 
ington, Commander in Chief, while nothing could be more 
humane in regard to a warlike expedition than the in- 
structions of General Clinton to spare the women, children 
and old men." 

But no small degree of uneasiness was being felt by 
the Oneidas at the swift destruction which had thus over- 



ii2 THE ONEIDAS. 

taken the principal town of their next door neighbors. 
"And it was not long," says Col. Stone, "after the return 
of Col. Van Schaick to Fort Schuyler before he was vis- 
ited by a formal delegation from some of the Sachems 
of the Oneidas. At the head of the embassy was Sken- 
andoah, an important Sachem of the tribe, accompanied by 
Good Peter, the Orator, and Mr. Deane, the interpreter. 
The object of this mission was an inquiry into the cause 
of the movement against the Onondagas, with whom, as 
previously has been remarked, the Oneidas were closely 
connected by intermarriage. Having been introduced 
Good Peter spoke as follows : 

"Brothers, — You see before you some of your friends — 
the Oneidas and Tuscaroras ; they come to see you. The 
engagement that has been entered into between us and my 
brothers of America is well known to you. We were 
therefore much surprised a few days ago by the news 
which a warrior brought to our Castle, with a war shout, 
informing us that our friends the Onondagas were 
destroyed. We were desirous to see you on this occa- 
sion, as they think you have been mistaken in destroying 
that part of the tribe." Good Peter then pleads with elo- 
quence, and at length on behalf of the Onondagas. His 
address is said to have been that of a diplomatist, and it 
is supposed probable that the Onondagas were themselves 
at the bottom of the embassy with a view of obtaining in- 
formation by which to regulate their future conduct. 
Equally adroit was the reply of Colonel Van Schaick : 

"Brothers, — I am glad to see you, the Oneidas and 
Tuscaroras, as friends. I perfectly remember the en- 
gagement of the Six Nations entered into four years ago 
at Albany, and they promised to preserve a strict and hon- 
orable neutrality during the present war, which was all 



THE ONBIDAS PROVE FAITHFUL. 113 

we asked them to do for us. But I likewise knew that 
all of them, except our brothers, the Oneidas and Tusca- 
roras, broke this engagement and flung away the chain of 
friendship. But the Onondagas have been great mur- 
derers ; we have found the scalps of our brothers at their 
Castle. They were cut off not by mistake but by design. 
I was ordered to do it and it was done. As for the other 
matters which you speak, I recommend a deputation to the 
Commissioner at Albany. I am not appointed to treat 
with you on those subjects. I am a warrior. My duty 
is to obey the orders which they sent me." 

No further explanation, it is said, appears to have 
been interchanged, and the Oneidas were perhaps the 
more readily pacified inasmuch as they were really 
friendly to the Americans, while at the same time they 
must have been acquainted with the conduct of the Onon- 
dagas, which had justly incurred the chastisement they 
received. Scalping parties were constantly hovering 
about the unprotected borders, especially in the neighbor- 
hood of Fort Schuyler. And the Indians of none of the 
tribes were more frequently discovered belonging to these 
parties than those of the Onondagas. Since the Oneidas 
and Tuscaroras, equally with others of the League, were 
urged to take up the hatchet for the English, they deserve 
much credit for the right principles they showed through 
their addresses and conduct at this trying time. 



H4 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter X. 
Stirring Events. 

War between England and America was now in full 
force. The Colonists had much to contend against, but 
they felt their cause was a just one, and after entering 
upon it from a stern sense of duty to themselves, were 
ready to make any sacrifice, endure any hardship nec- 
essary. History gives us full accounts of these eventful 
days. It is not of them we would now write, or rather 
we must confine ourselves more especially to the Indians, 
who at this time were causing added anxiety. War at all 
times is exceedingly sad, but when entered into by In- 
dians, and with all their native savagery roused, it is ter- 
rible. And thus it proved during some of the border 
warfares in which so large a portion of the Confederates 
took part. 

Says Halsey in his "Old New York Frontier," in allu- 
sion to the approaching war : "At Oswego had gathered a 
few hundred Seneca Indians who were told by the Tories 
that the King of England was a man of great power and 
that they should never want for food and clothing if they 
adhered to him. And that rum should be plentiful as 
water in Lake Ontario. To each warrior was given a 
suit of clothes, a brass kettle and rifle, a tomahawk, pow- 
der and money. And a bounty was offered on every 
white man's scalp they might take." Could there be a 
more atrocious compact formed? And to think it was 



STIRRING EVENTS. 115 

made by English officers and white men with warlike, 
savage Indians ! 

Mary Jameson, though the wife of a Seneca Chief, in 
one of her writings, deprecated many of their doings 
about this time, and of this event says : "Thus richly clad 
and equipped they became full of the fire of war, and 
fiery spirits, and anxious for battle." 

"Oswego was already an important and ancient ren- 
dezvous/' continues Halsey. "Here Frontenac had 
landed in 1702 when he spread destruction among the 
Oneidas and Onondagas and first extinguished their 
Council-fire. From a time still earlier, or in 1616, Cham- 
plain had disembarked to make his campaign against the 
Indians in Central New York, and here, in the seven- 
teenth century, the French priests had arrived from Can- 
ada to begin their work of teaching Christianity to the In- 
dians. And it is believed that here a large number of the 
Iroquois themselves first settled when they came to New 
York." 

The French, under Frontenac and Montcalm, had estab- 
lished trading posts and fortifications at Niagara, the 
mouth of the St. Lawrence and at Oswego. Encroach- 
ments the Indians had felt upon their grounds. Later the 
fort at Oswego was captured and garrisoned by the 
English. The French were unable, or not finding it to 
their advantage to hold Fort Ontario left it, it is said, to 
the English, who immediately set about rebuilding it. 
Thus, in 1757, this fort, near the mouth of the Oswego 
River, was reconstructed in such a manner as to defy 
the heaviest artillery. In the summer of 1758, Colonel 
Bradstreet, with an army of 3.340 men, left Oswego to 
storm Fort Frontenac, which was effected with but little 
loss or trouble on the part of the English. After their 



n6 THE ON BID AS. 

military stores, shipping, etc., were removed and the fort 
entirely destroyed they returned to Oswego with much 
eclat. From this time Oswego was looked upon as the 
most important military post in Northern British America. 

At the breaking out of the American War Fort Ontario 
was regarrisoned by a strong British force and became 
a place of general rendezvous for the enemies of free- 
dom and their allies from the Six Nations. "Here," says 
Clarke, "were concocted many schemes of conquest and 
slaughter which desolated the settlements on the Mo- 
hawk at Schoharie and Cherry Valley. Here St. Leger 
concentrated his forces preparatory to his contemplated 
union with General Burgoyne. Hither he receded after 
a disastrous siege at Fort Schuyler. Here, too, at 
Oswego, were the headquarters of the Butlers, 
Johnsons and Brant, who, with other warriors, sallied 
forth, scattering death and desolation wherever their in- 
clination led." 

Great devastation was now being committed in the val- 
ley of the Mohawk, Susquehanna and their tributaries. 
The irruptions into the border settlements of the whites 
were so frequent and the tracks of the Indians marked 
with such destruction that the American Congress was 
obliged to send against them a powerful detachment to 
lay waste their villages and to over-awe them with the 
fear of final extirpation. General Sullivan in 1779 is said 
to have led an army of four thousand men into the Seneca 
territory, which he penetrated as far as the Genesee, at 
that time the center of their population. After destroying 
their principal towns, their fruit orchard and stores of 
grain, he returned to Pennsylvania, having first sent a de- 
tachment into the Cayuga territory to ravage their settle- 
ment. 



STIRRING EVENTS. 117 

Surrounded as they were by frequent battles the 
Oneidas were obliged to take up arms for their own de- 
fense as well as for the colonies. Their warfare, how- 
ever, says Col. Stone, "was far less cruel and barbarous 
than that of the Mohawks, Senecas and Onondagas who 
served the English. The Oneidas, it is known, neither 
hurt the women, children or old men, or took the scalps 
of those whom they killed." "We do not take scalps," 
said one of their warriors, "and we hope you are now 
convinced of our friendship to you in your great cause." 
The Oneidas are said to have fought with great bravery, 
and the Oriskany clan, under Chief Cornelius and Chief 
Honyerry, joined General Herkimer on the morning of his 
disastrous battle and sustained themselves valiantly in that 
murderous conflict. The Oneida Chief, Honyerry, or 
Hensjuree — Towahonyahkon — as his Indian name in full 
now stands in the Archives of the War Department of 
Washington, was commissioned a Captain by the Board 
of War in 1779. 

Previous to their yielding to the force of circumstances, 
both the Oneidas and Tuscaroras held a trying position in 
remaining neutral, for among the Tories and fighting all 
about them were many of their own brethren of the Six 
Nations. In 1779 or 1780, an unusually cold winter, 
did not prevent the hostile Indians of Niagara, aided by a 
detachment of British troops, and it is thought a corps 
of Butler's rangers, from carrying out the threat of Sir 
Frederick Haldimand against the Oneidas. Their vil- 
lages and Castle were invaded and entirely destroyed. 
Their Church and their dwellings were laid in ashes, while 
the Oneidas themselves were driven down upon the white 
settlements for protection. 

They subsequently settled in the neighborhood of 



n8 THE ON EI DAS. 

Schenectady, where they were assisted by the Government 
of the United States until the close of the war. Says 
Clarke : "Though an important event and known fact in 
the border wars, there is difficulty in ascertaining the 
exact time of this invasion of the Oneida village." Prof. 
Kirkland, son of their former Missionary and President of 
one of the colleges East, several times mentions this inci- 
dent, and what the Oneidas had had to endure, in his 
"Communications to the Massachusetts Historical So- 
ciety," and now found published in their valuable collec- 
tion. To be impartial and truthful in this record of the 
Oneidas we must add, yet with regret, that Dr. Kirkland, 
who knew them well, says in one of these communica- 
tions: "The dispersion of the Oneidas and the devas- 
tation of their country was greatly detrimental to them. 
When the war came on they had attained to some degree 
of civilization, industry and prosperity. But driven from 
their homes, reduced to poverty, want and dependence, 
the habits of many of them became intemperate and idle 
and they were long in recovering from their depression." 
But this effect was doubtless gradual and happily not 
to be said of them all. And certainly during the trying 
time of war they received constant praise from Congress 
as to having conducted themselves with principle and 
bravery. In one of the latest addresses from Congress 
Morgan tells us : "While condemning others of the Six 
Nations and charging them distinctly with ingratitude, 
cruelty and treachery with which the pacific advances of 
the Colonies had been requited and for which reparation 
would be demanded, the Oneidas and Tuscaroras re- 
ceived praise. They were not only honorably exempted 
from the charges of treachery, but were also applauded 



STIRRING EVENTS. 119 

for their firmness and integrity and assured of friend- 
ship and protection." 

In reply to this an Oneida Chief answered for his own 
Nation and the Tuscaroras with a spirit and dignity, it 
is said, that would not have disgraced a Roman Sena- 
tor. He pathetically lamented the degeneracy of the un- 
friendly tribes and predicted their final destruction. He 
then again declared the fixed and unalterable resolution 
of the Oneidas at every hazard, to hold fast the cove- 
nant chain with the United States and be buried with 
them in the same grave, or with them enjoy the fruits 
of victory and peace." 

The Onondagas, with various excuses, throwing much 
blame upon the influences of Butler and others in the 
service of the Crown, tried to exculpate themselves. 
But at heart they were from the first more or less treach- 
erous, and the Commissioners were warned against 
them. It was declared that there was not the least 
doubt the Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas would re- 
new their hostilities early in the spring; and that Col. 
Butler would again be in possession of Oswego, which he 
would more strongly fortify, reinforced by some of the 
Indians of the Six Nations. The Stockbridge Indians 
had already ranged themselves on the same side with the 
Oneidas for the Colonies. White Eagle, a Chief of the 
Delawares, who had decided upon neutrality, as well as 
some of the Tuscaroras and the Caughnawagas with 
their leading Chiefs were already in camp with General 
Washington. 

The Mohawks, as we know, had openly espoused the 
cause of the Crown. Joseph Brant, their greatest Chief, 
had entered into a compact with Sir Guy Carleton and so 
induced by him and Col. Guy Johnson, the Indians from 



120 THE ON EI DAS. 

the Mohawk Valley were led across to Montreal. There 
Thayendanegea's services and those of his warriors were 
made much of by Gen. Carleton and Haldimand, and an 
agreement speedily made that they were to take up the 
hatchet for the cause of the King. These predilections 
of Brant, it is thought, were from principle. He had 
been entertained abroad, received at Court and had 
many favors shown him, and through life he maintained 
that the ancient covenant of his people rendered it 
obligatory for him to do so. 

General Porter, through a letter, said : "For the prose- 
cution of border warfare the Officers of the Crown could 
scarcely have engaged a more valuable auxiliary. He 
was distinguished alike for his address, his activity and 
his courage. He possessed in point of stature and sym- 
metry of person the advantage of most men even among 
his own well formed race, tall, erect and majestic, with 
an air and mien of one born to command." 

All our earliest impressions of Joseph Brant de- 
rived possibly from the histories of those days, were that 
he was one of the most cruel and savage of Indians. Yet, 
even in the terrible battles of Wyoming and Cherry Val- 
ley it is now known that in one or two instances, when 
accused of sharing in the horrible massacre. Brant was 
not present at that time and that to the Butlers and 
others must be attributed the largest share of downright 
barbarous warfare. Brant himself includes Walter But- 
ler among those whites, "who was more savage than the 
savage themselves." And after those fearful massacres 
he is known to have lamented the entire destruction of 
whole families of those in the valley who had previously 
been friendly to him, and asserted that it would not 
have happened had he been there. And in several in- 



STIRRING EVENTS. 121 

stances he tried to make restitution, or give help in some 
way. And this does not seem improbable, for gratitude 
is known to be one of the strong traits in the Indian 
character. 

Says Halsey : "The literature of the Border Wars will 
be searched in vain for a defense of Walter Butler or his 
father at Cherry Valley or Wyoming. He was in sev- 
eral instances execrated even by those who served under 
him." His last hour and just punishment are thus given 
us by Halsey: "Major Ross, a Tory, with 450 men on 
their way to Johnstown, were pursued by Col. Willett 
and were forced to retreat. On their way, twelve 
miles up the stream, at a difficult fording place, 
were some of the enemy. Col. Willett attacked 
them vigorously, killing several. Among them was 
the notorious Captain Butler." He then gives some 
account of his death. The circumstances of Butler's 
death have been variously related and perhaps most cor- 
rectly by Campbell. He says: "When we arrived at 
West Canada Creek Butler swam his horse across the 
stream, then turned round and defied his pursuers, who 
were on the opposite side. An Oneida with Col. Wil- 
lett's company immediately discharged a rifle and 
wounded him so he fell. Throwing down his rifle and 
his blanket the Indian plunged into the creek and swam 
across. As soon as he had gained the opposite bank he 
raised his tomahawk, and, with a yell, sprang like a tiger 
upon his fallen foe. Butler supplicated, though in vain, 
for mercy. The Oneida with uplifted hatchet shouted in 
his broken English, "Sherry Valley! remember Sherry 
Valley !" Then buried his hatchet in his brain and sev- 
ered his scalp. Ere the remainder of the Oneidas had 
joined him the spirit of Walter Butler had gone to give 



122 THE ON BID AS. 

up its account. The place where he crossed is called 
Butler's Ford to this day, it is said." 

Still another account says, "Butler was shot dead at 
once, having no time to implore for mercy." But Seeber 
Granger, who afterwards lived in Cherry Valley con- 
firmed Campbell's report. He had been present at But- 
ler's death, and told Levi Beardsley that Butler was first 
shot in the back by an Oneida Indian from across the 
creek and tomahawked afterwards. Rev. Mr. Merrill, 
in his "People of the Stone," speaks of their Chief Sken- 
andoah as having done the deed. "Whatever the de- 
tails" adds Halsey : "it was meant that Butler should per- 
ish in the same way he had caused so many others to pass 
away." 

Although, as we have seen, Oswego was a place of 
rendezvous for the English and their allies, yet most 
singularly it was not considered a port of danger by the 
Americans during their struggles for freedom. General 
Washington is said to have even opposed every propo- 
sition for a campaign on the lakes until the close of the 
war. Then the capture of Cornwallis, in a measure, 
decided the success of the colonies, and a disposition for 
peace was manifested in every quarter but at Oswego. 
General Washington then conceived the idea of taking 
Oswego by surprise. The execution of his design was 
confided to two American officers and the utmost secrecy 
enjoined. With a force of 470 men they left Fort 
Herkimer on the 8th of February, 1783. 

They proceeded as far as Fort Brewerton ; from that 
place they continued on foot. When they were within a 
few miles of Oswego they halted and constructed seven- 
teen scaling ladders. They then left the river and struck 
into the woods in order to avoid discovery. They had 



STIRRING EVENTS. 123 

expected to reach the Fort that night under darkness, 
but their guide, a young Oneida Indian, missed his way 
'mid the darkness, and about midnight they found them- 
selves entangled in an impenetrable forest. The under- 
brush being filled with snow rendered their procedure 
almost impossible. Here they passed the night without 
fire and their sufferings were almost indescribable. In 
the morning they found themselves within three-quarters 
of a mile from Fort Ontario. They were also discovered 
and reported at the Fort. And so ended in failure their 
expedition.* 

This is believed to have been the last defensive expe- 
dition undertaken on the frontier, if not in the war itself. 
British troops and Tories alone remained/after peace had 
been declared in 1783, in possession at Oswego, though 
not long after they were obliged to vacate that strong- 
hold. Previously their Indian allies had been sent off. 
The British had informed them that their services were 
no longer needed, and their supplies of provisions were 
stopped. After expressing great displeasure at this 
treatment they departed with sullen faces into the wil- 
derness. 

"It was base ingratitude," says Halsey, "that the Eng- 
lish, in this last scene at Oswego, showed towards their 
faithful allies." In this war the Indians had nothing to 
gain and much to lose. And the English Government 
exhibited the same action of ingratitude shown at Os- 
wego, when the treaty of peace with the Colonies was 



*Fort Ontario is now, 1905-06, being reconstructed at a cost of 
over $800,000, appropriated by the Government. Modern bar- 
racks, handsome officers' quarters, a fine hospital, club-room, 
gymnasium, etc., are being constructed, and the ground most 
beautifully laid out for military use. 



124 THE ONEIDAS. 

drawn up and signed. They made no provision, or 
asked any for the Indians who had served them so faith- 
fully and had been promised them. Although their coun- 
try might well have been forfeited by the events of the 
Revolution yet the American Government never enforced 
the rights of conquest, but through the kind suggestions 
and humane treatment of Washington, instead of con- 
fiscating their lands, they were all treated alike and their 
territories secured to the State through purchase and 
treaty. 

In marked contrast to this was the treatment by the 
English. Morgan, in referring to it, says : "The Treaty 
of peace between Great Britain and the United States in 
1783 made no' provision whatever for the Iroquois, who 
were abandoned in adversity by their English allies and 
left to make such terms as they could with the successful 
Republic." 

Later a general peace and treaty was established with 
the Northwestern Indian Nations, including the Iroquois, 
all of whom had more or less become involved in the 
general controversy. With the restoration of peace the 
political transactions among the League were substan- 
tially closed. This in effect was the termination of their 
political existence. The jurisdiction of the United States 
was extended over their ancient territories, and from 
that time forth they became dependent nations. 

The Confederates must long have felt these changes. 
Some years later Peter Wilson, Hii-a-wa-no-onk, a 
Cayuga Chief, pathetically said before a Historical So- 
ciety, "The Empire State," as you love to call it, was once 
laced by our trails from Albany to Buffalo. Trails that 
we had trod for centuries, trails worn so deep by the feet 
of the League that they became your roads of travel as 



STIRRING EVENTS. 125 

your possessions gradually cut into those of my people. 
Your roads still traverse these same lines of communica- 
tion which bound one part of the Long House to the 
other. Have we, the first holders of this prosperous re- 
gion, no longer a share in your history? Glad were 
your fathers to sit down upon the threshold of the Long 
House. Had our forefathers spurned you from it when 
the French were thundering at the opposite door to get a 
passage through and drive you into the sea, whatever 
had been the fate of other Indians, the Iroquois might 
still have been a Nation and I, instead of pleading here 
for the privilege of living within your borders, might 
have had a country of my own." 

De Witt Clinton, Governor of New York and even 
after all the sanguinary events of war, pays this tribute 
to the Confederates : "The Six Nations were a peculiar 
people distinguished from the most of Indian Nations 
by great attainments in polity, in negotiations, in elo- 
quence and in war." Others at that time had as high 
words in their praise, and especially so of the kindness of 
the friendly Oneidas. 



126 THE ON EI DAS. 



Chapter XL 
After the War. 

Great changes had been taking place among the In- 
dians of the Six Nations even before the Revolutionary 
War, and at its close they found they could no longer 
possess their lands as of old, or be a "United People." 
Their Council-fires had for some time been extinguished, 
their Confederacy abandoned. The once powerful League 
with its remarkable self-government no longer, in fact, 
existed as it had done for centuries throughout the cen- 
tral part of the State of New York. Civilization had not 
only made more rapid encroachments upon their pos- 
sessions, but they had now become a scattered Nation 
yet still retaining the bond of brotherhood. 

The Mohawks, as we already know, had upon the first 
rumors of war sided with the Crown. But before leav- 
ing their native valley in 1776 they were assured by the 
English through Sir John Johnson and others that when 
the war was ended their condition would be made as good 
as before. And this pledge had been renewed in 1779. 
"Yet," says Halsey, "it was only through the most per- 
sistent exertions of Joseph Brant that the Mohawks 
finally secured fulfillment of the pledge. Of their set- 
tlement in Canada we have already given some account. 
And it is well known that whatever prosperity the Mo- 
hawks attained to in their new country was due to the 
influence of their Chief, Thayendanegea, with the English 
both in this country and abroad." 




Thayendanegea— Joseph Brant 



AFTER THE WAR. 127 

"When quite a young man," says Clarke, "Brant per- 
ceived the importance of education and religion as 
auxiliaries in carrying forward the moral and social 
improvement of his Nation. He preferred the Episcopal 
form of service and assisted in the translation of the 
Prayer Book and parts of the Scriptures. Even after the 
war Brant returned with pleasure to superintending the 
printing of the Gospel of St. Mark, and assisting on other 
religious works in London. And one of his first stipula- 
tions with the English Commander of the Canadian 
forces, on acquisition of their new territory, was for the 
building of a Church, a school-house and a flour mill. 
And no sooner had the war been brought to a close than 
his religious principles were again in action and his 
thoughts and exertions once more directed to the means 
of imparting to his people a knowledge of their relation 
to God and the good to them through following His laws 
and precepts." 

Joseph Brant was a Mohawk of pure blood, his father 
was a Chief of the Onondaga Nation of the Wolf clan, 
while his mother was a Mohawk of some distinction. 
They had three sons of whom Joseph was the youngest. 
He was born on the banks of the Ohio in 1742, whither 
his family had gone on a hunting expedition. His father 
is supposed to have died in that country, for later his 
mother returned with two of her children, Mollie and 
Joseph. She remarried, and we hear little further of her. 
Her son was then known as " Brant's Joseph, or Joseph 
Brant." His sister Mollie, and under peculiar circum- 
stances, struck the fancy of Sir William Johnson, who 
took her, Indian fashion, to live with him as his wife. 
She is said to have been bright, very fine-looking and 
presided in Sir William's handsome house with some 



128 THE ONEIDAS. 

character and dignity and was treated with respect by his 
many guests.* He early took an interest in Mollie's 
young brother Joseph. We hear of him, as a mere lad 
with Sir William in the army under the great Chief, King 
Hendrick. 

It was at the battle of Lake George against the French 
in 1775, where for the first time Thayendanegea heard 
firearms and confesses to have been frightened on hear- 
ing them and at their speedy result. His name signifies 
"a bundle of sticks" ; in other words strength. Sir Wil- 
liam is known to have sent him early to school under 
Dr. Wheelock of Lebanon, Connecticut, and after he 
was well educated for those days employed him as secre- 
tary and as agent in public affairs. He was also em- 
ployed as Missionary interpreter from 1762 to 1765. And 
Brant exerted himself even at that time for the religious 
instruction of his tribe. 

Benson Lossing, Stone, Reid and other writers say: 
"Many tales were told during the Revolutionary War of 
Brant's savage cruelty, and he has been spoken of as a 
monster. But in almost every instance of the horrible, 
bloodthirsty Indian atrocity the red men were accom- 
panied by armed Tories, while Brant was known to make 
every effort to restrain their savage instincts. 

"From early boyhood he was the companion of the 
whites and in his early manhood was an assistant of Sir 
William Johnson. By birth he was a savage, but by 

♦History compels us to add that although Mollie Brant, the 
left-handed spouse of Sir William Johnson, presided with dignity 
in his mansion and at his table, and treated the Tories with much 
respect, she was at heart a Mohawk of the Mohawks. After Sir 
William's death she is known to have shown more vindictiveness 
toward the Colonists than even her brother, Capt. Joseph Brant, 
and used every opportunity to spur her people against them, 
even to deeds of treachery. 



AFTER THE WAR. 129 

education he was a white man. It is hard to believe that 
a man who had been cared for by Sir William as though 
he had been his own son, and who had learned from him 
the virtues of generosity and conciliation, a man who had 
been placed in contact with the eminent white men of the 
period in business matters, one who was a friend of 
Dominies Stuart, Urquhart and Kirkland could degen- 
erate into the savage that early historians have pictured 
him. One, too, who had assisted them in their transla- 
tions of portions of the Gospel and Prayer Book into the 
Mohawk and exerted himself in many ways for the spir- 
itual welfare of his people." 

The Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell, makes the 
Oneida Indian say in "Gertrude of Wyoming" : 

"This is no time to fill the joyous cup, 
The Mammoth comes, — the foe, — the monster Brant, 
With all his howling, desolating band . . . 
Scorning to wield the hatchet for his bribe, 
'Gainst Brant himself, I went to battle forth : 
Accursed Brant !" 

"Captain Brant was not at Wyoming at that time of 
horrible massacre," say Reid, Stone and other writers, 
"but many miles distant. And although Campbell wrote 
to Brant's son John a letter of apology and regret, his. 
poems are still published with that shameful falsehood. 

"The bribe alluded to came from the British through 
Sir John and Col. Guy Johnson in the bounty of eight 
dollars for every scalp, and was an incentive for the mur- 
der of many helpless men, women and children that Brant 
was powerless to prevent. And the Tory Butlers were 
known to have taken an even more atrocious part in the 
massacre of Wyoming and Cherry Valley than the In- 
dians themselves. 



130 THE ONBIDAS. 

"After the peace of 1783 Col. Brant revisited England, 
was well received and on his return to America, again 
devoted himself to the social and religious improvement 
of the Mohawks who were settled at Grand River. Brant 
County, Canada, and at the Bay of Quinte. He held a 
Colonel's Commission in the English army, but he was 
more generally known as Captain Brant. He died at his 
residence at the head of Lake Ontario, November 24th, 
1817, at the age of 65." 

We give this more pleasing account of Brant to try, 
with others, to do him justice, and also because the 
Oneidas of the same dialect have shared in some of his 
valued translations. We are tempted to relate here an 
amusing incident that shows the shrewdness, sagacity 
and humor of Brant. At all ages, as we know, false 
prophets have appeared to delude and draw after them 
the ignorant, or superstitious. One of these came among 
the Indians and wickedly represented herself as the fore- 
runner, or indeed the Saviour as at His second coming. 
She could not fail to attract the attention of Col. Brant, 
while his celebrity equally attracted hers. Brant, with 
an object in view, finally sent to her residence and re- 
quested an interview. After some delay and formality 
he was presented to her and she addressed to him a few 
words of welcome. He replied by a formal speech in his 
own language. At its conclusion she informed him that 
she did not understand the language in which he spoke. 

Brant then addressed her in another Indian dialect, to 
which in a like manner she objected. Pausing for a mo- 
ment, and we can almost see his mock gravity, he com- 
menced to speak in a third and different American Indian 
language which she interrupted by an expression of dis- 
satisfaction at his persistence in speaking to her in a Ian- 



AFTER THE WAR. 131 

guage she could not understand. He then arose with 
dignity and with a significant motion of the hand and in 
plain English said : "Madam you are not the person you 
pretend to be. Jesus Christ can understand one lan- 
guage as well as another," and abruptly took his leave. 

Since Dr. Griscome is said to have related this incident 
another author has attributed it to Red Jacket. This 
Chief, however, was known to be a pagan, a disbeliever in 
the Saviour. And as Brant was the opposite it is con- 
sidered more characteristic of him than the Seneca Chief. 

Not long after the war a majority of the Senecas, 
Cayugas and portions of the other Nations settled them- 
selves in the northeastern part of New York, in Canada 
and upon the Ohio River. They had disposed of their 
lands in the Genesee Valley through purchase by the 
Government before removing elsewhere. Though they 
might all rightly have been considered to have forfeited 
their lands through the side they took with the English 
and from the events of the war, the Government was 
lenient and through purchase and treaty for their lands in 
the central part of the State enabled them to settle on 
other reservations. 

A portion of the Onondagas, though little deserving 
the kindness they received from Congress so directly after 
their cruel and treacherous warfare against the Ameri- 
cans, were permitted to remain on their reservation at 
Onondaga Castle, where they may still be found mostly 
devoting themselves to agriculture. Though a few are 
raid to retain their old customs, war-dances, etc., there 
has been for some time a faithful missionary of the 
Church in charge of them and many of them are becom- 
ing educated and learning the white man's ways. 

To the Oneidas and Tuscaroras, who for a time, as we 



132 THE ONBIDAS. 

know, remained neutral, then, as it became necessary, 
sided with the Americans and proved loyal throughout 
the war, a large grant of land was given them in return 
for their services in the central part of New York. Some 
of the New England Indians, the Stockbridge and 
Brothertowns, were also settled near them. The Oneidas 
were given, we find, certain portions of lands in central 
New York, including those bounded by the Unadilla, 
Chenango and Susquehanna Rivers. The Unadilla River 
and part of the present town of Unadilla is thought to 
have been Oneida territory. For the Oneidas were 
known to have sold their land as far east as Her- 
kimer and Delhi. 

Evidence which Morgan regards as correct, begins 
the line of division at a point five miles east of Utica and 
extends it directly south of Pennsylvania, making part of 
Unadilla border land between the Oneidas and Colonists. 
But the great and rapid influx of population, the tide of 
which set to the westward with the restoration of peace, 
:soon rendered their possessions of less value to them- 
selves, their fishing streams and hunting grounds often 
being invaded by white settlers. Negotiations, too, were 
constantly going on by Government for the purchase of 
their lands which they yielded from time to time in large 
grants, until their original possessions were narrowed 
down to one small reservation, which they were finally 
told they could keep for all time. 

There were other strong reasons for the poor Indians 
giving up their possessions, little by little. They felt the 
necessity for money of which heretofore they had scarcely 
any knowledge. Even long after their discovery by the 
Dutch in 1607 and their intercourse with them, and 
later with English traders, there was simply an exchange 



APT BR THE WAR. 133 

of their tobacco, game and furs for what they most 
needed — war implements, blankets, gay cloth, beads and 
various things heretofore unknown to them — among 
others the baneful fire-water. And if they were often 
defrauded, or through poor bargains cheated out of their 
best furs they could philosophically hope to obtain more. 

Before this time the bow and arrow, as well as the 
sharp but rudely constructed hatchets of their own make, 
had served them. The carefully preserved skin of ani- 
mals, fine deerskin especially, answered them for their 
suits, leggings and moccasins. These were ornamented or 
even richly embroidered, with various small dyed quills. 
Gay feathers, too, helped to decorate them according to 
their rank. Mother earth, through her streams and for- 
ests, had long furnished them food in variety and abun- 
dance. For they had fish, game and wild fruit, fresh and 
dried meats, and in time learned to cultivate the maize, 
bean and squash. Of inns, or especial lodging places, 
they had no need, or knowledge. They could travel from 
one end to the other of their vast territory and have food 
set before them in any friendly lodge or tepee they might 
enter and without a question asked. 

Says Morgan, in his "League of the Iroquois," "If a 
neighbor or stranger entered their dwelling food was set 
before him with an invitation of welcome. It made no 
difference at what hour of the day, or how numerous the 
call. This hospitable custom was universal and one of 
the laws of their social system. A stranger would thus 
be entertained without charge as long as he was pleased 
to remain, and a relation was entitled to a home among 
any of his kindred while he felt disposed to claim it. 
Under such a simple law of hospitality hunger and desti- 
tution were entirely unknown among them. 



134 THE ONBIDAS. 

"It fell chiefly to the industry and natural kindness of 
the Indian women, who by the cultivation of the maize, 
bean and other plants, the preserving of wild fruit and 
dried meats had ready at hand the principal part of their 
entertainments ; for the warrior despised the toil of hus- 
bandry and all labor as beneath him. But food is thus 
given at any hour with his full sanction, and all that is 
expected of the stranger is the usual 'Hia-ne-a-weh,' 'I 
thank you.' " 

It was in exact accordance with the unparalled gener- 
osity of the Indian character, says one. He would sur- 
render his dinner to feed the hungry, vacate his bed to 
rest and refresh the weary and give up his apparel to 
clothe the naked. No test of friendship at this early time 
was too severe, no sacrifice too great, no fidelity to an en- 
gagement too inflexible for the Indian character. With 
an innate knowledge of the freedom and the dignity of 
man, they have exhibited the noblest virtues of the heart 
and the kindest deeds of humanity in their sylvan 
retreats. 

Canossatego, a distinguished Onondaga Chief, who 
lived about the middle of the last century, thus cuttingly 
contrasted the hospitality of the Iroquois with that of the 
whites. It was in conversation with Conrad Weiser, an 
Indian interpreter. Said he: "You know our practice. 
If a white man in travelling through our country enters 
one of our cabins we all trust him as I do you. We dry 
him if he is wet, we warm him if he is cold and give him 
meat and food to allay his hunger, and we spread our 
furs for him to rest and sleep on. We demand nothing in 
return. But if I go into the white man's house at Albany 
and ask for food he says : 'where is your money ?' and if I 
have none he says, 'Get out you Indian dog !' ' : 



AFTER THE WAR. 



JD 



Poor, untutored and often ill-used Indian, how could he 
understand, or for a long time adapt himself to the 
changes going on about him ? And yet he clung to his old 
possessions in Central New York as long as possible. It 
was indeed hard for the brave and noble Confederates to 
give up all their possessions and watch the rapid strides 
of civilization. And yet even beyond their knowledge 
they were forerunners in opening the way through their 
figurative Long House to the long sought for Pacific 
Coast. With this object in view, Henry Hudson 
ascended the river bearing his name, as far as the mouth 
of the Mohawk in the small boats of the "Half Moon," 
when the Cohoes Falls, it is thought, prevented further 
exploration in that direction. The Falls at that period, 
unsurrounded by manufacturing interests, were said to be 
grand. At that point the Mohawk is more than a hun- 
dred yards wide and perfectly rock ribbed on both sides. 
The Falls are nearly seventy feet perpendicular in addi- 
tion to the turbulent rapids below. 

From the earliest maps of the Valley, previous to the 
settlement of Schenectady in 1661-1669 is shown an In- 
dian village at the bend of the Mohawk and about half 
way between Schenectady and the Hudson River, called 
Naskayuna, while Schenectady was designated by the 
word Schoo, thought to be a contraction of the word 
Schonowe, "the gate." Says Professor Pearson, "the 
origin of the word Schenectady was probably derived 
from the Indian word Schonowe, meaning door or gate to 
the Long House of the Iroquois in the Mohawk country. 
And it was so applied to Schenectady as the Schonowe or 
gate. Later, as the Indians retired further westward 
after the advances of the white man the same name was 
given to Ticonderoga (Fort Hunter) as being the door, 



136 THE ONBIDAS. 

or gate of their country and from it we undoubtedly have 
the name of Schoharie, being the real door or gate of 
Mohawk country." 

"This name," says Reid, "becomes poetical when we 
reflect upon a broader, grander application of the term, 
"the gate." The Hudson and the Mohawk Valley taken 
together are indeed the avenue to the great West, al- 
though the early settlers did not so fully realize it. First 
the Indian trail and canoes then the bateaux and the stage 
coach, and then after long years of waiting the Erie Canal 
reaching from tide-water to the Great Lakes. Then the 
primitive railroad from Albany to Schenectady, and from 
there to Utica, and then on to Buffalo, Chicago and so on 
and on, until now the iron rails passing through our 
beautiful Mohawk Valley reach from ocean to ocean. 
Still later, in our present year 1906, there has started the 
building of a ship canal in the bed of the Mohawk Valley 
to the Great Lakes. 

In the fifteenth century it was the desire of navigators 
of the then known world to seek India by sailing West, 
and it was with this object in view that the expeditions of 
Christopher Columbus, John and Sebastian Cabot and 
others were fitted out. After the discovery of America, 
even up to the voyage of Henry Hudson the desire of 
navigation was to discover the northwest passage to 
India. When Henry Hudson entered the Bay of New 
York and sailed up the broad river that bears his name 
he fondly hoped that he had at last found the "North 
West passage." Not dreaming that a great continent 
three thousand miles wide lay between him and the Pa- 
cific Ocean. 

The Indians, as we have seen, with their limited 
knowledge, had already called the Mohawk Valley 



AFTER THE WAR. 137 

"Schonowe" the gate. They little knew how truly it was 
named except as being the one perfect trail through the 
Long House to as far west as they sometimes roamed. 
"Henry Hudson was right, however," says Reid, "in his 
surmises." With its two great Railways, its Erie Canal 
and the promises of a second Suez with its millions of 
tons of merchandize and myriads of tourists streaming 
across the continent to meet the steamers of the Pacific 
to Asia, the Mohawk Valley may well be called the 
"Northwest passage," the gate to India. 



138 THE ONBIDAS. 






Chapter XII 

Resettling in New York. 

Other changes were to take place among the once free 
and independent Nations. They had for centuries been a 
law unto themselves with a remarkable and well adhered- 
to form of self-government. Now they must obey those 
in authority over them. For at the close of the Revo- 
lutionary War, with the English conquered and the 
"Yankees" in possession of the country, a republican 
form of government was established to which the In- 
dians found that they, as well as other citizens of the 
United States, must conform. 

To diverge somewhat, it may not, perhaps, be gener- 
ally known that the term "Yankee" did not originally 
belong to the Americans, but that it is said to be a cor- 
ruption of the word "English," as pronounced by the 
Indians : "Yanghies, Yangees, Yankees." Later it was 
taken up and unwittingly used in derision by an English 
officer against the Americans, who in time became willing 
to adopt it as expressive of smartness ; for, to the tune of 
"Yankee Doodle" the British troops were made "to dance 
out of Boston." An old colonial building still stands 
upon the Hudson opposite Albany. It is called "Fort 
Crailo" ; sometimes, "The Yankee Doodle house." It 
originally belonged to the Van Rensselaers of Revolu- 
tionary note, and has since been handed down and oc- 
cupied by various descendants. The latest, Mrs. Strong, 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 139 

who was a Van Rensselaer, gives us some interesting 
incidents connected with it. She says: "Fort Crailo, 
as it now stands, is a massive brick structure of three 
stories, the upper story of dormer-windows and shingle 
roof. The rude fortress-like walls of the main building, 
still pierced by stone portholes, amply bear out the as- 
sertion that it was used for purposes of defense in early 
colonial days. That the building was already in existence 
and used as a fort as early as 1663 admits of no contra- 
diction, since the fact is supported by various reliable 
authorities." 

Tradition reports that it sustained several Indian sieges 
before the Revolutionary War. They are said to have 
been held by the warlike Mohicans, and the building 
looks as if it could have presented a staunch resistance to 
such attacks. There is a bronzed tablet on the front wall 
of Fort Craillo, above one of the ancient stone portholes, 
that gives the date of erection, 1642. It is cut, too, in the 
stone of the cellar wall. Another statement, and cut in 
a similar manner on the cellar wall, is : "The lines of 
Yankee Doodle were composed here July 1758." This, 
we find, was when General James Abercrombie, with his 
staff, made the Manor House his headquarters on his way 
to what proved a defeat at the hands of Montcalm, at 
Ticonderoga, July 8, 1758. 

The British officers were the guests of Colonel Jo- 
hannes Van Rensselaer and his lovely wife, Angelica 
Livingston, daughter of Robert Livingston, Jr., for nine 
years Mayor of Albany. On General Abercrombie's staff 
was a young surgeon whose derision was excited by the 
appearance of some raw American recruits straggling in 
from the country-side, clad in all sorts of motley garb. 
Sitting: on the edge of the well-curb in the rear of the 



140 THE ONBIDAS. 

house, he scribbled the few lines of doggerel so familiar 
to us all as "Yankee Doodle." In 1775 the Continental 
army held a cantonment in the very same garden back of 
the Manor House. They were on their way to Ticon- 
deroga, and were taken by a handful of Americans under 
the gallant Ethan Allen, May 10, 1775. The despised 
Yankees had gone to the front, it is said, with a ven- 
geance. Thus the lines written in derision were destined 
to be proudly sung to the stirring quickstep when the 
spirit of '76 called for their glad response, and we, after- 
wards, to adopt the air, as we did the name. 

To return : The Indians felt deep love and veneration 
for the Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, now 
unanimously placed at the head of the Government, and 
they were willing to submit to the laws formed by Con- 
gress and received through him. They indeed looked 
upon Washington as a "father," and so called him for his 
kindness to them, even after their treachery and savage 
warfare against the Colonists, and when, too, they had 
been wholly deserted and left uncared for by the English, 
whom they had long served with fidelity, and with whom 
they had held a covenant of friendship which they had 
supposed lasting, but which had failed them in their time 
of need. 

The Indians now promised to be law-abiding and con- 
form more to the white man's way. Still, as the years 
passed by, they more and more felt their loss of freedom. 
Even the lands given them were soon coveted and con- 
stantly encroached upon from all sides by the whites. 
Their forests were no longer the same to roam about at 
will unmolested. There had been a time when their 
depths were unbroken and trackless, except by the moc- 
casin covered feet of the Indians, who alone would pene- 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 141 

trate them guided in any direction, north or south, 
through their knowledge of the bark upon the trees, that 
on the north side, as they well knew, being thicker and 
often moss-covered. They could tell, too, by certain 
signs of the trees and ground if they were approaching 
stream or hills. At night the moon and stars were their 
unfailing guides. They were familiar with many of the 
constellations, and gave them Indian names. 

It was, indeed, marvelous, their perfect knowledge of 
everything connected with nature; the use of various 
plants, and of the ground best to clear for their maize; 
where, from certain signs, springs could be found ; the 
haunts of various kinds of wild animals they sought for 
food, or for their furs. Can we wonder, then, that they 
felt the restrictions of civilization? or that the wisest 
among them saw and realized their degeneracy through 
idleness and too free use of the white man's fire-water, 
"making squaws of the men," as they sometimes termed 
it? The majority certainly were deteriorating, and there 
was little wonder over the increasing cry for their re- 
moval to the West, to some Indian territory of their own. 

But with the intelligent, law-abiding Indians it wac 
different. Their struggles to better themselves, their 
friendliness and fidelity, were appreciated, and many of 
them were trusted by the whites. As an instance of this 
we hear of a peculiar postal service entrusted to an In- 
dian. It was after peace had been restored, but when 
there were still great difficulties in getting from one point 
of the country to the other, even though more thickly 
settled. A mail route at this time was formed between 
Onondaga, or Syracuse, and Oswego. And as most 
trustworthy and reliable, as well as swift of foot, an In- 
dian chief was appointed. Oun-di-a-ga, an Onondaga 



142 THE ONEIDAS. 

chief of the Bear clan, was chosen to convey the mail 
once a week between the two places. The roads were 
almost impassable, and traveled only on foot or on horse- 
back. The evening before starting, punctually at nine 
o'clock, the chief would get the mail put up in a small 
valise, or grip, as we now call it. When it was given him, 
he would usually go for security to the kitchen of a dis- 
tinguished friend, Judge Forman, and without a word of 
comment, would stretch himself on the floor with his feet 
to the great open fireplace, put his precious burden be- 
neath his head, and soon fall asleep. At the hour of four, 
precisely, without a single instance of omission, Oun-di- 
a-ga would rouse himself, and be the weather what it 
might, would hasten off on foot and with all the con- 
sequence of a bearer of government dispatches. On his 
arrival at Oswego, his trust faithfully and punctually 
delivered, he would rest on the morrow, and return with 
the mail in the same manner. The distance between the 
two places is full forty miles, and the trusty Indian in no 
instance was known to delay or cause disappointment. 
Does not this speak well for the fidelity of the Indian 
character ? 

The better part of the Indians in the State of New 
York, the Oneidas especially, had now settled themselves 
down to agricultural and other pursuits and also to the 
establishment of schools and a Church of their own. 
Places of worship for the whites had been going up. At 
Schenectady, and before the Revolution, a fine church 
was built by the English population who had felt their 
need for one ; but the comparatively small number of 
English-speaking people at that time among the Indians 
and Dutch settlers, and the lack of means, delayed this 
for some time. Even after the foundation was laid, the 




St. George's Church, Schenectady, Built in 1757 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 143 

church was long in being completed. When finished in 
1757, it was called St. George's Episcopal Church, though 
the Presbyterians had helped in its erection with the un- 
derstanding that it was to be used in common by both 
denominations, as it was for a time. Sir William Johnson 
is known to have contributed liberally toward it, and also 
to have obtained subscriptions from his friends. At one 
time 61 pounds and 10 shillings were given him by the 
Governor of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

"This old stone church," says Mr. Reid in his recent 
"Valley of the Mohawk," "is still standing near the site of 
Queen Anne's old Fort, beautiful and picturesque in its 
time-worn stone walls and quaint interior decorations. 
Its high old-fashioned pulpit, etc." We believe this to be 
the same church which Margaret Denny, an Oneida 
woman, some years later and while on the Reservation 
near Green Bay, alluded to as having attended when a 
child, and as so handsome. She especially recalled the 
chandeliers as being "so big." She loved the services, 
faithfully attended the church at Oneida until she was 
over 90 years of age, and was shown great respect by the 
people and missionary in charge. 

Through the influence of the Rev. Mr. Geer, a Church 
clergyman, a school of industry was established by Mary 
Doxtator among the Indians. She was a Stockbridge 
Indian by birth, and was taken when young by some 
Quakers of Philadelphia to be educated in all domestic 
duties. After her return to her people she was married 
to an Oneida, one of the Pagan party, and he opposed 
all her efforts to be useful among them. After his death, 
however, and when left with the care of three children, 
she opened at the Rev. Mr. Geer's suggestion, a school 
of industry and taught the Indian women to sew, spin, 



144 THB ONBIDAS. 

and weave blankets and coverlets. She was baptized and 
admitted to the Holy Communion, and brought her 
children to Holy Baptism. 

Mary Doxtator's house, it is said, was a pattern of 
neatness and order. Her example was that of a woman 
deeply imbued with Christian spirit and principle, and the 
white people of her acquaintance gave her both their 
esteem and assistance. She died in 1820, and to this 
day there are descendants of hers on the Reservation near 
Green Bay, who doubtless inherit some of her excellent 
traits of neatness and industry. 

Other schools were established, and the spiritual wel- 
fare of the Indians was also looked after. The Metho- 
dists had early built a Church near Oneida Castle, and 
were doing what they could to civilize and Christianize 
the Indians near them. But a majority of the Oneidas 
then living in the Mohawk Valley were longing for their 
old mode of worship and for Episcopal services. Finally 
they came under the protecting care of Bishop Hobart, 
who, in 181 1, was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of 
New York. "And," says Miss Susan Fenimore Cooper, 
in her valuable papers on "The Mission to the Oneidas," 
"the position of the Church was becoming more assured 
and her charities enlarged. The missionary spirit 
moved her heart, and missionary actions followed. 
Bishop Hobart already looked upon the remnant of the 
Six Nations within the limits of the Diocese of New 
York as a legacy bequeathed to him by the venerable 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The revival 
of that Mission by our Church dates from 1816. And 
a movement was at once made on behalf of the Oneidas. 
The services of a catechist, lay reader and teacher were 
offered them. They responded warmly to the proposi- 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 145 

tion, and when Mr. Williams appeared among them, they 
received him with great cordiality." 

Eleazer Williams, who was sent to the Oneidas, was a 
man whose history was most remarkable. He was long 
supposed to be the son of a Mohawk woman, and born 
at St. Regis, New York, near Lake George. But we 
find many conflicting accounts as to his real lineage and 
birthplace. For a time he was thought to be a descend- 
ant of the Rev. Mr. Williams of Deerfield, Massachu- 
setts. When surprised and burned during a terrible 
winter's night in 1704, by a sortie of French and Indians 
from Canada, the village was plundered, and the min- 
ister, with all his family, was, with other white settlers, 
carried off prisoner. After a long and painful captivity, 
Mr. Williams and his family returned to Massachusetts — 
all but one, a daughter, who had been adopted into a Mo- 
hawk family, and whom nothing could induce to leave 
her adopted people. She is said to have lived and died a. 
Mohawk woman at heart, having married into the tribe. 

Among her lineage, and bearing the maternal name of 
Williams, was found an intelligent lad whom friends in 
Massachusetts offered to educate. Their object seems 
to have been to fit him to become a missionary among the 
Mohawks, in connection with the Presbyterian Church. 
But though expressing a desire to serve his people as a 
missionary, he much preferred the English Church. His- 
boyhood had been spent on the St. Lawrence among the. 
Mohawks, and there he had become familiar with the- 
Prayer Book in their language. Under these circum- 
stances, we find he offered his services as a catechist and 
lay missionary to Bishop Hobart, who gladly accepted 
them as coinciding with the plans he already had at heart. 
AYilliams was accordingly sent to the Oneidas in re- 



146 THE ON EI DAS. 

sponse to their appeal, and entered on his duties in 
March, 1816. 

He soon acquired much facility in speaking the Oneida 
dialect, which greatly resembles the Mohawk, though 
thought to be much softer and more musical. Large 
numbers of the people flocked every Sunday to the school- 
house to take part in the services he held there. A num- 
ber of the older Oneidas had thirty or forty years before 
been familiar with the solemn words of the Litany and 
were now again deeply affected by them. "From all we 
can learn," says Miss Cooper, "Mr. Williams proved a 
very faithful and capable teacher." 

At the close of the first year of his services, a very im- 
portant step was taken. Many of the Indians had 
lapsed into almost heathenism so that the Nation had 
divided into two parties. "The First Christian Party," as 
it was called, consisted of those who had been baptized. 
These had almost immediately joined Mr. Williams's 
flock. The other division of the tribe were avowed 
lieathens, and were called "The Pagan Party," and so ad- 
dressed by the Governor of the State. But under Mr. 
Williams's earnest and zealous teachings the following 
winter of 181 7, Governor De Witt Clinton received at 
Albany a most striking letter declaring they no longer 
belonged to the Pagan Party. It is rather too long to 
give in full. After a few eloquent and gracious words, 
such as the Indians have been noted for in their speeches, 
they add : 

"May it please your Excellency, we the Chiefs and 
principal men of that part of the Oneida Nation hereto- 
fore known and distinguished as the 'Pagan Party,' in the 
name of the said party beg leave to address your Excel- 
lency on a subject which we hope will be as pleasing to 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 147 

you as it is to us. We no longer own the name of 
Pagans. We have abandoned our sacrifices and have 
fixed our hopes on our Blessed Redeemer. In evidence 
of this assertion we here tender to your Excellency, sin- 
cerely and unequivocally, our abjuration of Paganism 
and its rites, and take the Christian's God to be our God 
and our only hope of salvation." 

They then give expression to their faith and trust in 
the Creator and Preserver of all things and in the Scrip- 
tures as the Word of God, containing all things necessary 
for man's salvation, and close by saying, "We trust 
through the mercy of God that we have abandoned the 
character of Pagans ; let us also abandon the name. We 
therefore request your Excellency that in all future trans- 
actions with us we may be known as 'The Second Chris- 
tian Party of the Oneida Indians.' And we pray that 
your Excellency will take such means as may be neces- 
sary and proper to cause us to be recognized in future 
by that name. And in the name of the Holy Trinity 
we do here sign ourselves your Excellency's most sin- 
cere friends." 

It is then signed by ten or twelve chiefs and prominent 
men, and dated, "Done in General Council at Oneida, 
New York this 25th day of January A. D. 1817." Had 
Mr. Williams done naught else than bring a whole tribe 
of pagan Indians to confess Christ as their Redeemer he 
would have accomplished a great deed. 

We hear of him soon afterward as being sent to New 
York with the letter to Bishop Hobart. It was written by 
a young Oneida Chief, and a communicant. After an 
opening address he adds: "Right Reverend Father, we 
see now that the Christian religion is intended for the 
good of the Indians as well as the white people ; we see 



148 THE ONBIDAS. 

it and do feel that the religion of the Gospel will make 
us happy in this world and in the world to come. May 
it ever remain in our hearts, and we be enabled by the 
Spirit of the Eternal One to practice the great duties it 
points out to us." The Chief then alludes to Mr. Wil- 
liams's faithful mission ; of their efforts, though poor, to 
care for him, and of his patience in making no com- 
plaints ; then he adds : "We pity him because we love 
him as one of ourselves. We wish we could do more for 
his support than we do at present but we are trying with 
his help to raise money to build a little chapel." After 
an earnest appeal to the Bishop not to forget them, or 
withdraw their brother from among them for fear the 
cause of religion might die and wickedness prevail among 
them the letter closes with these striking words : 

"Right Reverend Father, as the head and father of the 
Holy Apostolic Church in this State, we entreat you to 
take an especial charge of us; we are ignorant, we are 
poor and need your assistance. Come, venerable father, 
and visit your children and warm their hearts by your 
presence in the things which belong to their everlasting 
peace. May the Great Head of the Church, whom you 
serve, be with you and His blessing ever remain with you. 
We, venerable father, remain your dutiful children." 
Then follow the names of thirteen prominent Oneidas 
and the date, January, 1818. In reply the Bishop kindly 
writes : 

"My children, I have received your letter by your 
brother and teacher, Eleazer Williams, and return your 
affection and Christian salutation, praying that grace, 
mercy and peace from God the Father and from our Lord 
Jesus Christ may be with you. My children, I rejoice to 
hear of your faith in the One living and true God and in 




The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart, D.D. 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 149 

His Son Jesus Christ, whom He has sent and whom to 
know is life eternal. And I trust by the Holy Spirit of 
God you may be kept steady in this faith and may walk 
worthy of Him who hath called you out of darkness into 
His marvellous light." The Bishop in a kind, earnest 
manner then urges them to continue to be faithful, and 
closes by saying: 

"My children, it is my purpose, if the Lord will, to 
come and see you next summer, and I hope to find you 
as good Christians, living righteously and soberly in this 
world. I shall have you in my heart and remember you 
in my prayers, for you are part of my charge of the flock 
for whom the Son of God gave Himself even unto death 
upon the cross. My children, may God be with you and 
bless you. 

"Signed, John Henry Hobart, Bishop of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in the State of New York, in the year 
of our Lord, February 1st, 1818." 

The promise which Bishop Hobart gave to his "Oneida 
children" was faithfully fulfilled. On Tuesday, Septem- 
ber 13, 1 818, he visited their village. The journey at that 
day we are told was not without difficulty. There was 
neither canal nor railroad, and the roads were of the 
rudest construction. The traveler was jolted over "cor- 
duroy" roads, or sunk deep in ruts or mud. Bishop Ho- 
bart, however, joyously met at some distance from their 
village by the Oneidas, reached his destination in due 
time, and became much interested in what he saw of the 
people and their country. Though no longer savage the 
condition of society was peculiar, and foreign to all his 
previous experience. 

On the Reservation at that time there are said to have 
been about a thousand Indians, who held the land in com- 



150 THE ON BID AS. 

mon. A small portion was under cultivation for their 
tobacco, potatoes, maize, beans and pumpkins, a part for 
pasture land for their sheep and cows, but the greater 
portion was a forest wilderness. Through the woods 
there were no roads, but simply Indian trails. Their 
houses of logs, or wigwams of bark, were scattered about 
in wild irregularity on the hill-sides or near the culti- 
vated fields. The Oneidas at this period, we find, busied 
themselves in the forests, gathering ginseng. This they 
sold to traders, by whom it was carried to New York and 
Philadelphia, and sold to merchants who sent it to China, 
where it was burned in the temples. Partly for their 
support and partly for their hoped-for Church the 
Oneidas are said to have gathered about a thousand 
bushels annually, which sold for $2,000. 

When the Bishop appeared among them the chiefs 
gathered around him with their usual calm dignity when 
doing honor to a favored guest. One aged sachem, it is 
thought, Hendrick Schuyler, made a speech which was in- 
terpreted by Mr. Williams. He told his "father" the 
Bishop, that in his youth he had been instructed in the 
Holy Christian Faith by a missionary from beyond the 
sea when this State was an English colony, that he had 
been baptized, and had held fast the faith while the snows 
of fifty winters had fallen about him and, while many of 
his brethren were still heathen. He pointed out the spot 
where the missionary had long before preached the Gos- 
pel to his tribe. It was an open glade in the forest, with 
here and there a few oaks of noble growth throwing a 
grateful shade. Within sight of this spot, rose the little 
church which the Oneidas had recently built under the 
direction of their catechist, Eleazer Williams. It was a 
neat, rustic chapel, still unfinished, but in every way 



RESETTLING IN NEW YORK. 151 

creditable to the tribe, who had raised over $3,000 for 
the expenses. In this unfinished chapel Bishop Hobart 
confirmed 89 persons. In his after address to the Con- 
vention of the Diocese, the Bishop thus alluded to this in- 
teresting occasion : 

"On my visit to the Oneidas several hundred Indians 
assembled for worship. Those who could read were 
furnished with books, and they uttered the confessions of 
the Liturgy, responded to its supplications, and chanted 
its hymns of praise with a reverence and fervor which 
powerfully affected the feelings of those who Witnessed 
their solemnity. 

"They listened to my address, interpreted to them by 
Mr. Williams, with so much solicitous attention, they 
received the Laying on of Hands with such grateful 
humility, and partook of the symbols of their Saviour's 
love with such tears of penitential devotion that the im- 
pression which the scene made on my mind will never be 
effaced. Nor was this the excitement of the moment, or 
the exhibition of enthusiasm ; the 89 who were con- 
firmed had been well instructed by Mr. Williams. And 
none were permitted to approach the Communion whose 
lives did not correspond with their Christian profession." 
Surely a higher meed of praise could not have been given 
to red or white man, or been better deserved. 



152 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XIII. 
From Study to Warfare. 

Previous to offering himself to Bishop Hobart for 
Church service, Eleazer Williams had taken active part 
in civil, or military service, and not without honor. 
Trouble had again arisen between England and America 
and so brought about the war of 1812, that Williams, 
under peculiar circumstances, was drawn into taking part. 

We have alluded to a mystery as resting over his 
birth and parentage — of his being supposed to be in part 
of Indian extraction. It may not be amiss to give what 
little was known at that time of Eleazer Williams, or to 
recall here something of his early history, since he was 
to have supervision of the Oneidas for more than fifteen 
years. His whole heart and soul seem to have centered 
upon the Indians, their education and spiritual welfare. 
Very early these feelings influenced Eleazer Williams. 
His studies were pursued with this object in view; and 
though often suffering from ill health, he made such 
remarkable advancement in various studies, that it 
seemed to many as if it came as a recovery, a revival of 
much earlier instruction. And, too, he so readily adapted 
himself to social events, while there was nothing about 
him, in complexion, looks or manners to indicate Indian 
extraction, that many were puzzled and expressed strong 
doubts as to his really belonging by birth to the St. Regis 
Indians. Eleazer had no recollections of his earliest 






FROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 153 

childhood; his mind had been a blank until reason was 
restored by an accident when about twelve or thirteen 
years of age. 

All he knew then, was what he had been told — that 
"for a long time he was in delicate health ; that Indian 
remedies had been given him ; that though his physical 
condition was much improved, he was long of unsound 
mind, yet took delight in playing with other children ; and 
that one day, when at Lake George, he had a severe fall 
from a rock near Fort William Henry, at the head of the 
Lake. He was taken out of the water, with a deep gash 
on his head, cut by a rock beneath the surface. When 
restored to consciousness, he understood all that was said 
and going on about him." 

Eleazer Williams had a distinct recollection that not 
long after this two gentlemen came to their encampment, 
who bore every indication of being Frenchmen. One of 
them wished to see him. He wore a ruffled shirt, his 
hair was powdered, and he presented to the lad a very 
splendid appearance. When Eleazer came near, the gen- 
tleman advanced several steps to meet him, embraced him 
tenderly, and when seated on a log had him stand be- 
tween his knees and appeared quite overcome, as he ex- 
claimed : "Pauvre garcon ! pauvre garcon !" He con- 
tinued to be deeply affected, kissed him and said a good 
deal in his foreign way that he seemed anxious the lad 
should understand, but that he could not. The gentle- 
men came the next day, stayed several hours, and were 
taken out on the lake in a canoe by Thomas Williams. 
Again one of them paid much attention to Eleazer, and 
he recalled that when seated on the same log, the French- 
man raised his bare feet and dusty legs and examined the 
scars on his knees and ankles very closely. Again the 



154 THE ONEIDAS. 

gentleman shed tears, and as he left him, gave him a 
gold piece. 

After being away for a few days, supposedly to meet 
this gentleman, who by some is thought to have been Mr. 
Bellanger, Thomas Williams, on coming back, ha^. them 
all return to Caughnawaga, their old home, contrary to 
his usual custom of remaining at Lake George for his 
fall hunt. A day or two afterward, Eleazer, who slept 
near distinctly heard him tell his wife that a request had 
been made to send two of their boys away to be educated, 
himself being one of the two. At first the wife seemed 
unwilling, but when her husband persisted, she replied: 
"If you will do it you may send away this strange boy; 
means have been put in your hands for his education, but 
with our John I cannot part." Her willingness to part 
with him and the whole tenor of the conversation excited 
suspicions in Eleazer's mind as to his belonging to them, 
but they soon passed away. 

The boys, however, were both for a time at Long 
Meadow, Massachusetts, under Mr. Ely's kind care. 
While Eleazer took readily to study and made most rapid 
progress, John Williams was slow to learn, felt the re- 
straints of school life and civilization, and before many 
months went back to his wigwam home, "feeling proud," 
as he said, "of Eleazer." The one seemed all Indian, the 
other, it was remarked, had not a trace of the Indian in 
looks or manners. 

During his residence in Massachusetts, Eleazer took 
delight in all the refinements of social life. But the at- 
tentions shown him by all classes of persons never for a 
moment diverted his mind from the great purpose for 
which he conceived himself created — that of carrying the 
Gospel to the heathen. Says the Rev. Mr. Hanson : 



■ v» • • ,rv 






■ 



.•' .. 



ELEAZER WILLIAMS, 1806 

Facsimili 01 pencil sketch by Chevalier Fagnani from original 

pdrtrai: i>> J. Stewarl ol Hartford in 1806 (from Lost Prince; 






i 






•- A- 







PRINCE DE JOINVIL.LE 

Son of King Louis Philippe, .sent to see Eleazer Williams 

at Green Bay 



FROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 155 

"Providentially a painting of him at this period of life, 
when in the midst of his studies, has been preserved. 
The countenance is fair, with an expression of great 
sweetness and innocence combined with thoughtful and 
almost Quaker gravity. It strongly resembles, allowing 
for the necessary advances of age, the earlier pictures of 
the Dauphin in France, and exhibits in the most marked 
manner the lineaments of the Bourbons." We give a 
copy of this picture, a facsimile pencil sketch by Fagnani 
from the original portrait by J. Stewart, at Hartford, in 
1806. The lad must at this time have been about nine- 
teen; for earlier he very quaintly records in his journal: 
"I, Eleazer Williams, aged thirteen years, and John Wil- 
liams my brother, both of us, came to Long Meadow 
Wednesday 23d of January, 1800. This being the day we 
began with Nathaniel Ely." 

His total unlikeness at this time in his personal appear- 
ance to his reputed brother forbids at once the supposition 
of their being of the same origin. While John Williams 
was truly an Indian, with long black hair, his complexion 
and every feature corresponding, Eleazer is represented 
as having brown hair, hazel eyes, light complexion and 
European features. Although he was naturally cheer- 
ful, still a tinge of thoughtful sadness would steal over 
him when asked of his early history. He would say he 
could not remember much about it. And it gave him 
pain, apparently, that he could not. 

Williams remained for some time at Mansfield and 
Long Meadow with the Elys and became very much 
attached to them, as they did to him. He was with them 
until December 28, 1809, when he was put under the 
teaching of the Rev. Enoch Hale of West Hampton, 
Massachusetts. In his journal, which he had kept for 



156 THE ONEIDAS. 

some time, were found recorded many painful attacks of 
illness, with invocations for grace and patience to bear 
his sufferings — severe pains in the head and chest, at 
times bleeding at the chest, with most excruciating pain, 
when his life was despaired of. But the activity of his 
mind and body seemed to rise superior to indisposition. 

In 1810, after a return of his old malady, and by the 
advice of friends and physician, he gave up study for a 
time, to travel southward. It was on this occasion that 
he first became acquainted with the Rev. Dr. Hobart, 
later consecrated Bishop of New York and a warm per- 
sonal friend. Even at that early day Dr. Hobart was 
attracted by Eleazer Williams's appearance and intelli- 
gence, and showed him marked attention. 

After a time, and with great earnestness, Eleazer once 
more took up his studies, mostly theology, to fit him to 
become a missionary. Though apparently a robust youth, 
he had much to contend against with his frequent attacks 
of severe pain in head and chest. But he made as light 
of them as he could, and thus continued his studies at 
West Hampton, in part under supervision of the Con- 
gregational Board of Missions. About the beginning of 
the year 18 12, he was sent, as a change from too close 
study, to Canada, to Sault St. Louis, near Montreal, and 
upon other expeditions, to see after the state of the In- 
dians. He also revisited St. Regis, where a welcome 
awaited him among his supposed relatives. 

But striking events were taking place, for again war 
.was likely to break out at any moment between English 
and Americans, the field of action being the northern 
part of New York and Canada. 

Mr. Williams now hastened back to West Hampton, to 
give report to the Congregational Board of Missions as 



PROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 157 

to the state of the Indians whom he had visited. When 
among them, he had in some instances urged the estab- 
lishment of schools and given some religious instruction 
and advice. Once more he was deep in his studies, when 
in July he was sought for. His ability, reputation and 
influence among the Indians, as well as his familiarity 
with their language being known in the highest quarters, 
he was immediately selected by Government as the best 
person to prevent them from taking up arms against the 
United States. He was requested to repair at once to 
the headquarters of Gen. Dearborn, to receive instruc- 
tions. The St. Regis Indians, among whom he had been 
brought up, and who occupied so central a position be- 
tween the two belligerent forces, were undecided what 
course was best for their interest and safety and also 
applied to Eleazer for advice. Thus, a variety of influ- 
ences, with scarce a moment's warning, led him to aban- 
don the peaceful pursuit of religious study for the hot 
haste of military life. All immediate prospect of prose- 
cuting his mission being thus cut off, and duty calling him 
to scenes of war, he set out for Greenbush, where Gen. 
Dearborn was then encamped, and arrived there on the 
8th of August, but with his whole heart and soul, as we 
have been told, opposed to warfare. Although Williams 
was still young — not much more than twenty-four or 
twenty-five years old, on his arrival at the camp Gen. 
Dearborn treated him with much courtesy, and he re- 
mained for two days closeted with him and Gen. Tom- 
kins, to learn what was required, and to express his own 
views as to the best method of carrying the objects into 
effect. 

Though he had no idea of permanently entering into 
the service of the Government, or of being entrusted with 



158 THE ONBIDAS. 

military power, he was forced by circumstances to enter 
upon its service ; for he was at once appointed to the high 
position of Superintendent General of the Northern In- 
dian department, with most ample power. Mr. Williams 
was to have under him the whole corps of Rangers or 
scouts of the northern army, whose duty it was to spread 
themselves everywhere and freely go in and out of the 
enemy's camp. This was a secret service of importance 
of which he was given charge. The body of men placed 
at his command are said to have been the most reckless, 
daring and unscrupulous in the army, and he frequently 
spoke of them as "the terrible corps," and trembled at the 
accountability he assumed in placing himself at their 
head. But he is said to have gained as perfect control 
over them as one born to command. 

The Rangers were sent out in every direction, and re- 
ported to him every movement of the British forces. 
And the manceuvers of the American army were in a great 
measure governed by the information received through 
him as to the necessity of dispatching troops to occupy 
particular positions. He was thus the instrument in 
helping defeat the English by land and water, in the north 
and west. 

General Dearborn when parting with him, gave him 
letters to General Bloomfield and Colonel Clarke of Bur- 
lington, New Jersey, and Major General Mooers of 
Plattsburg, New York. 

We must here pass over events that kept Mr. Williams 
busy for some time. After the first excitement was over, 
he fell ill, and again conscientious scruples assailed him. 
He writes in his journal : "Oh, that God would make all 
men peaceful and live together in unity. I am in dis- 
tress for my sins, they are great. Oh, most gracious God 



FROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 159 

for Christ's sake pardon and assist me to manage the af- 
fairs I am upon with integrity." At all times he seems to 
have been extremely sensitive as to preparing for the min- 
istry and entering into civil war. His prayers and ejacu- 
lations were always earnest and touching for so young 
a man. 

After forming acquaintance with General Bloomfield, 
and receiving orders from him, Williams again set out 
for the north, and reached Plattsburg on the 8th of Sep- 
tember. The next day Gen. Bloomfield arrived and was 
saluted by the gunboats, and in the evening Mr. Wil- 
liams laid before him the reports of his Rangers. He 
also had a long conference with him "in relation to the 
Indians, the force of the enemy, the state of defense, the 
movements of the troops, the strength of the navy and 
the condition of the roads from Champlain to La Arcadia 
plains." Both suggestions and report were approved of, 
as showing marked executive ability in Mr. Williams. 

Under protection from Gen. Mooers, a letter of import- 
ance was given him to present to Major Young of 
Plattsburg. Having delivered this letter, Mr. Williams 
proceeded with a corresponding passport to Turner's Inn, 
where he met Captain Tilden, the commander of the sta- 
tion. He was carefully concealed from the sight of the 
Indians ; but at French Mills he held a secret conference 
with the chiefs, distributed to them money, and obtained 
the promise of adherence to the American cause. 

We would here state that the Oneidas still in the State 
of Xew York, were again loyal to the American side, 
and under some of their brave chiefs and warriors, direct 
descendants of Chief Hill, Skenandoah and others of 
Revolutionary note, did effective service in the War of 
1812. And years later, when in Wisconsin and the Civil 



160 THE ONEIDAS. 

War broke out, they needed no urging to show their 
patriotism. "Their tribe," we are now told by Mr. Merrill, 
"furnished 135 volunteers to the Union army." Death 
has since thinned their ranks, but about twenty of these 
loyal Indians are still living, and are among the leading 
men of the community. Should not history give space to 
their brave deeds as well as to those of other nations who 
may not have more faithfully served their country in its 
time of need? 

Returning through the woods to Plattsburg, on the 
1 6th, Williams sent by one of his Rangers a confidential 
message to the Sault St. Louis Indians, to join them. He 
then became greatly troubled with conscientious scruples 
as to the morality of attempting to withdraw the British 
Indians from allegiance to their Government. He writes 
in his journal of having had a conference with Gen. 
Bloomfield on this question, and adds with great sim- 
plicity: "We agreed that if we could bring them over to 
the American side it was proper and justifiable." 

Soon afterward several chiefs arrived from Sault St. 
Louis, Canada, and were presented to Gen. Bloomfield, 
who with Col. Clarke held a conference with them. A 
messenger, or scout, was then sent to the St. Regis In- 
dians and to those of the Lake of the Two Mountains to 
inform them that powder was ready for them. A por- 
tion of those of St. Regis being found unfriendly to the 
American cause, the Commander-in-chief thought best to 
send troops to St. Regis. But they were charged to have 
a care not to injure the friendly part of the tribe. The 
attack proved successful. St. Regis was carried, a num- 
ber of prisoners were captured, and the first flag was 
taken from the British during the war. 

Mr. Williams at both Plattsburg and Albany received 



FROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 161 

orders for his Rangers, and on the 5th of November, by 
invitation of General Bloomfield, attended a secret coun- 
cil of war and presented his report, which he had written 
while lying ill in bed. As winter was approaching, they 
had hoped for an armistice, but Mr. Williams heard 
through his Rangers that the British were preparing to 
attack them at Plattsburg. On November 7th he re- 
ceived an order from the Commander-in-chief to return to 
Albany, but before starting was able to communicate to 
Gen. Bloomfield intelligence that the enemy was prepar- 
ing for an attack. In the evening Generals Bloomfield 
and Mooers discussed with him the plans of the ensuing 
campaign, after which Williams sent out orders in differ- 
ent directions to the Rangers and information to the In- 
dians, and the next morning he was on his way to Albany 
with haste, issuing orders as he went, to some of the 
posts. "Arriving at Albany on the 18th, he dined with 
the Commander-in-chief, and received from the War De- 
partment a complimentary communication concerning the 
efficient services of his corps and further instructions in 
relation to his department. 

Williams' was to leave for the north the next day, but 
snatched a few moments to have conversation with the 
Rev. Mr. Clowes, a Church clergyman at Albany, and 
obtain some religious advice. There a rather singular 
incident deserving of record occurred. A brilliantly il- 
luminated missal, of the character in use in Cathedral 
churches on the Continent, lay on the study table of Mr. 
Clowes; at the sight of it young Williams, who was re- 
markable for his usually quiet and self-possessed de- 
meanor, became suddenly agitated, it is said, to an aston- 
ing degree, so as almost to give the impression of tem- 
porary insanity, and in the most earnest manner, as if 



162 THE ONBIDAS. 

some mysterious chord of feeling was touched, besought 
that it might be given him. The request was refused, not 
so much on account of the value of the book, as because 
the act was looked upon as of unaccountable eccentricity. 
But the singular event was long afterward recalled by the 
Rev. Mr Clowes's brother as having had a deeper mean- 
ing than was at the time supposed. 

Mr. Williams hastened his return to Plattsburg, and 
there received important information from his Rangers. 
It is thus noted in his journal : "My communications to 
the council yesterday were received with attention. Gen. 
Smith was highly gratified with and ordered something 
extra to the Rangers to encourage them in their fidelity to 
the Government. The extensive power invested in me I 
have endeavored constantly to exercise with the greatest 
moderation. The great and glorious principles of religion 
I trust have governed all my acts. Thus far the War De- 
partment has approved my acts and also the officers with 
whom I have been immediately connected in these fron- 
tiers. Major General Mooers and Mr. Sailly of the cus- 
tom department have been very useful to me in my move- 
ments." 

In the battle that took place at Plattsburg, September 
ii, 1814, the British were defeated, though they far out- 
numbered the American forces. Various skirmishes took 
place during the winter, the enemy repelled by the officers 
in charge ; among them Generals Macomber, Mooers, 
Major General Dearborn, and other men of note. The 
corps of Rangers under Williams's command were doing 
effective service by keeping them informed of every 
movement of the British. They fearlessly penetrated 
into the neighborhood of the enemy, to bring back in- 
formation to Mr. Williams. Now word came to him that 



FROM STUDY TO WARFARE,. 163 

an attack was meditated upon some posts on Lake 
Ontario, either Oswego or Sacketts Harbor. 

"I learn,"' says Williams, "by the scouts, that Sir 
George Prevost has passed Prescott for Kingston. I 
have sent speedy communication to proper officers at 
Ogdensburg and Sacketts Harbor and requested the lat- 
ter to alarm the officers at Oswego." 

Later he learned that an attack had been made on Sac- 
ketts Harbor. The British were defeated by General 
Brown, after considerable loss on his side. But it was said 
that the timely information they had received through 
Mr. Williams saved Sacketts Harbor. 

Later, March 17th, Mr. Williams writes: "We have 
heard much of the movements of the enemy. Saw some 
of the Indian Chiefs. Their future course was explained 
to them. Plattsburg, March 19th. I made my report to 
Col. Pike. He appeared to be satisfied. He has himself 
received instructions to proceed with his regiment to 
Sacketts Harbor. I am informed that Gen. Dearborn has 
gone thither." Then showing the deep religious part of 
his nature, Eleazer adds: "I had a long conversation with 
one of the officers of artillery upon religion, who to all' 
appearance is an infidel." Again he records : "Although 
I am in the midst of the din of war, yet I do not forget 
my duty to God, it has been a blessed day with me. What 
can be more happy to a sinful creature than a close com- 
munion with God." 

From Plattsburg he records : "We have the melancholy 
intelligence to-day that on the attack upon York near 
Toronto, Upper Canada, Col. Pike was slain, but that the 
place was taken on the 27th of April. I lament the loss 
of the amiable and brave Col. Pike." All indeed mourned 
over the death of this brave and noted officer, after 



164 THE ONEIDAS. 

whom, upon one of his earlier expeditions, Pike's Peak 
was named. One of the last, if not the very last of his 
official letters, is prophetic. It has been handed down in 
our family, and is now by me. He thus addresses Gen- 
eral Bloomfield, his commanding officer: 

Sacketts Harbor, April 13, 1813. 
"Dear General: 

"Mr. Davis, who will deliver you this, will inform you 

that we expect to sail for the moment the ice is 

entirely out. I shall lead a column of 1,500 men of the 
6th, 15th, and 16th with Artillery and Light Troops. 
Should we not be victorious you will not hear of me 
again, but I take this opportunity my dear General of 
assuring you of my eternal gratitude and high esteem. 

"Z. M. Pike. 

"General Joseph Bloomfield. 

"N. B.— Ogden is well." 

The Ogden alluded to was Lieutenant Ogden Bloom- 
field. nephew of General Bloomfield, who accompanied 
Colonel Pike to Canada. Shortly after they landed at 
York, Colonel Pike was killed and Lieutenant Ogden 
Bloomfield was shot just as he had captured a British 
flag. It was wrapped around his body, and he was 
brought on board the vessel that returned with Colonel 
Pike's remains. 

We have given but a few prominent events connected 
with the War of 1812, in part as found in Eleazer Wil- 
liams's journal, and merely to show the military side of 
his character, his executive ability and recognition as 
commander among men of distinction. When more 
troops were needed for border defense. Williams was 



FROM STUDY TO WARFARE. 163 

pressed into active service and proved a brave soldier. 
In one of the battles in which he took part, he received a 
wound, from the effects of which he suffered severely at 
times throughout his life. 

Says the Rev. J. H. Hanson, his biographer: "The 
military life of Mr. Williams closed with its most bril- 
liant if not its most arduous and trying hour. Entering 
the service of the United States in the first instance 
merely from a sense of duty and without any desire for 
personal distinction, which allures so many, he had ful- 
filled the part of a noble minded commander and gallant 
soldier. The nature of his office, a secret service, though 
responsible in the extreme and demanding the highest 
responsibility mental and moral kept him necessarily in 
the background, though he had the full confidence and 
esteem of Government and high military officers, who 
rightly estimated his worth because they reaped the fruits 
of it in almost every important event of the war. The 
public at large, though, knew little of the wisdom, integ- 
rity, fortitude and moderation which he had displayed. 

"No one," continues Hanson, "not deeply prejudiced, 
or lost to discernment, can read the simple war journal of 
Mr. Williams unostentatiously truthful as a dying con- 
fession, without feeling here, in all the elements that make 
a man, a manly man. There are few tests of character 
like that of military life. Whatever a man has of good or 
evil in him is called forth and no preux chevalier of olden 
times could more modestly and stainlessly, I say nothing 
of courage, for that apart from other qualities is animal, 
with more of the spirit of Christian moderation and self 
sacrifice, have played his part, than Eleazer Williams." 

During the whole of the war he never relinquished the 
idea of becoming an Indian missionary. He retired at 



166 THE ONBIDAS. 

every opportunity to his room for prayer, meditation and 
study, having kindly thoughts even for his national ene- 
mies, and in the spirit of one of the noblest hearts that 
bled during the civil wars of England supplicating God 
for peace even on the battle-field. 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 167 



Chapter XIV. 
Removal to Wisconsin. 

The young soldier, Eleazer Williams, was for some 
time confined to his room, suffering severely from the 
wound received in battle. When able to be moved he 
was taken to his old home in Caughnawaga among the 
St. Regis Indians, and sedulously attended by Thomas 
Williams, his reputed father, who restored him to health 
and strength through use of well known Indian herbs. 

While feebly reposing on his sick-bed Eleazer 's 
thoughts and aspirations went back to their old channel. 
Military glory or advancement, which he could easily 
have secured, had no part in his mind. It was still his 
great and earnest desire to be a soldier of Christ and fight 
under His banner against sin and evil ; and he determined, 
if spared, to spend the remainder of his days in preach- 
ing the Gospel to the Indians. Most of the St. Regis In- 
dians, with whom he had been brought up in boyhood, 
and who had, with many of the Mohawks, Oneidas and 
Onondagas earlier become Protestant Christians through 
missionary teachings, were now so completely under Ro- 
man Catholic influences and so prejudiced against the 
Protestants, that Williams saw he could not work to 
advantage with them. 

His New England friends among the Congregational- 
ists had been, and were still exceedingly kind to him ; but 
his thoughts dwelt most upon the Episcopal Church and 
services, toward which even during war-times he had 



168 THE ONBIDAS. 

through conversation and study a strong leaning. Says 
Mr. Hanson : "To his predilections for the Episcopal 
Church was added the belief that her ritual and discipline 
would be more serviceable to the Indians than the extem- 
poraneous worship of other denominations, and accord- 
ingly, after his recovery, or in May, 1816, he made a 
journey to New York to lay his plans before Bishop Ho- 
bart and receive his advice. In his journal we find writ- 
ten : "I wish to make known to the Bishop my feelings in 
regard to the Episcopal Church. Her ministry, doc- 
trines, discipline and mode of worship. I am fully per- 
suaded they are in accordance with the word of God. I 
have read much upon the claims of the Church and I now 
firmly believe she is the true and sound part of the 
Church Militant, or Church of Christ. Church history 
has been my companion for more than a year. Several 
authors I have read on the subject." 

It will thus be seen that it was through his own strong 
convictions and close study that Mr. Williams decided 
upon the step he was about to take. Later and other 
interviews with the Rev. Mr. Butler confirmed him in 
these views. He speaks of Mr. Butler with much affec- 
tion, and as giving him letters to Bishop Hobart, of New 
York, the Rev. Mr. Clowes and Lieutenant Governor 
Taylor, of Albany. The Bishop, whom he had before met, 
received him, he says, with great cordiality, and appeared 
to be much gratified at his decision. The Bishop, we 
find, acknowledged the duty of the Church to the Indians, 
and promised his hearty co-operation in the design of Mr. 
Williams to go among them. 

While in New York, he was confirmed and made his 
first Communion. It was in St. John's Church on the 
21st of May, 1815, and from the hands of Bishop Hobart 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 169 

and the Rev. R. T. Onderdonk. Of the kindness of the 
latter, with whom he stayed while in New York, he 
speaks in terms of gratitude and affection. It was de- 
cided by the Bishop to send him to the Oneidas as a cate- 
chist, lay-reader and school-teacher. And in this humble 
capacity he continued for six years in the State, perform- 
ing all the duties of the minister except the administration 
of the Sacraments. 

Says one familiar with those times: "So unobtrusive 
was he in this respect that although his labors were 
crowned with remarkable success, a whole tribe of 
heathens brought to confess Christ, and he enjoyed the 
full confidence of the Bishop Hobart he did not apply for 
ordination until the year 1826. He had as little desire 
for self-aggrandizement in the Church as in the army. 
Provided he rightly did the work assigned him, he was 
satisfied." Another person with his youth, capabilities 
and endowments would have despised the wigwams of 
the Indians, and sought for popularity and station in 
cities and in the applause of the wealthy and the intel- 
lectual. But personal display was not in his nature. 

Almost instinctively young Williams seems to have at- 
tached himself everywhere to the highest and most gifted 
minds. ''And there are few men," says Hanson, "who 
have adorned the annals of the country from John Ran- 
dolph to General Taylor, of his day, who have not en- 
joyed the society and esteem of Eleazer Williams." But 
through all vicissitudes his affections reverted to the In- 
dian hut, and to preach to them the glad tidings of salva- 
tion was the one absorbing desire of his heart. 

The acceptance of Eleazer Williams by Bishop Hobart 
and his appointment to the Oneidas as teacher, catechist 
and lay-reader has already been stated with some account 



i;o THE ONEIDAS. 

of his work among them. The Confirmation service, for 
which he had made preparation, is said to have been the 
first occasion on which the Oneidas had been visited by an 
American Bishop, or the rite administered by one among 
them. The service was described by one present as 
deeply impressive. The unfinished chapel was filled to 
overflowing- and the touching reverence of the Indians 
both young and old, was very affecting. Some of the 
clergy present were moved to tears, and so deeply af- 
fected that they withdrew to offer up prayers of thankful 
praise before the service was completed. 

Mr. Williams acted as interpreter for the Bishop. He 
had been most faithful in his instructions to the Indians 
and was soon afterward admitted as a candidate for Dea- 
con's Orders on the recommendation of the Standing 
Committee. 

The following year the little Church built by them 
through much self-denial, was completed, and Septem- 
ber 21, 1819, it was consecrated under the name of St. 
Peter's Church. On this occasion the Bishop confirmed 
56 persons, and baptized 2 adults and 46 infants, all 
Oneidas. 

Mr. Williams continued faithful in his services, but 
since he was not an ordained priest other clergymen oc- 
casionally visited the mission for the purpose of adminis- 
tering the Sacraments. The devoted Father Nash, pio- 
neer missionary of Otsego County, held services there in 
connection with the Rev. Mr. Orderson of the Island of 
Barbadoes in the spring of 1821. On this occasion 5 
adults and 50 children were baptized. In speaking of 
this visit Father Nash says: "In the month of May last 
I visited the Church at Oneida and with pleasure can tes- 
tify to the excellent order observed. In no congregation, 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 171 

although I have seen many solemn assemblies, have I be- 
held such deep attention and such humble devotion." 

But the poor tried Indians were not long to enjoy their 
settlement, or the church they had worked so hard to 
erect. Of this period Miss Cooper writes most graphi- 
cally : 

"Important changes were at hand. The rapid en- 
croachment of the white race, the sudden rush of civiliza- 
tion, began to trouble the Oneidas grievously. They 
were amazed and bewildered at the extraordinary changes 
going on about them. In past generations the advance of 
civilization had been gradual. But they were now hear- 
ing every day of some fresh tracks in the old forest, of 
some new town springing up as if by magic among the 
stumps of ancient woods where they had hunted the deer 
and the bear only a few years earlier. The four winds of 
heaven, as they swept over the Oneida cabins, seemed to 
bring every hour the echoes of this new life rushing into 
the wilderness, and with every rising sun they seemed to 
hear the strides of civilization coming nearer and nearer. 

"They were greatly disturbed. Many were the talks 
and councils held among the chiefs : the red people have 
strong local attachments, they dread leaving their old 
home-ground, and the graves of their fathers ; but they 
felt the dangers of their position, the whites were ve. v 
powerful, they were weak and helpless. At Kunawa 
Utica, they were surrounded by evil minded traders, and 
speculators, who coveted their lands. 'They stand in the 
way of the whites ; they must be swept out !' was the cry 
of these unprincipled men. Ere long the question was 
decided. The Oneidas resolved to move into the wilder- 
ness towards the setting sun. beyond the great lakes." 

Mr. Williams, foreseeing this, had first, and with the 



172 THE ONBIDAS. 

approval of some of their chiefs, gone to Wisconsin to 
look up lands for them. It was his great ambition and 
desire to found, if possible, a sort of Confederacy in the 
then wilderness territory somewhat upon the plan of their 
ancient League, though with church and schools, or a 
large college as their center. But he was falsely accused 
by some enemy, or jealous persons, of wishing to form an 
empire with himself as ruler, which indeed was furthest 
from his intentions. He had simply hoped to effect a 
favorable treaty between the Tuscaroras, Oneidas, and 
Stockbridge Indians with the Menominee and Winnebago 
tribes near Green Bay, who owned a large portion of that 
territory and who had felt willing to welcome the New 
York Indians among them. Arrangements were made 
for a great Council ; but though a number of chiefs at- 
tended and a sort of treaty was effected, it did not, from 
the cause already stated, end favorably. 

Mr. Williams, with the approval of Bishop Hobart, 
then went to Washington to urge upon the Hon. John C. 
Calhoun, Secretary of War, and others, to favor the 
Oneidas in a settlement in that part of Wisconsin, and 
this time, under Government patronage, he succeeded. 
And though "an Empire" as it had been derisively called, 
was not formed, the United States Government concluded 
a treaty with the Oneidas and Tuscaroras, giving them 
65,000 acres of land in Wisconsin in consideration of 
yielding their lands in New York. Mr. Williams was 
not acting alone in this, but consulting with their chiefs, 
some of whom had examined the land and helped sign the 
treaty. 

In alluding to that early time, the Rev. Mr. Merrill 
writes : "Foremost among the hereditary Oneida Chiefs 
was another Skenandoah, or 'Running Deer,' the last of 




Chief Skenandoah 




Chief Daniel Bread 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 173 

the New York Chiefs and one of the most famous ones of 
the west. He was a descendant of the Skenandoah 
whom we have previously described. It was this later 
Skenandoah who in company with Eleazer Williams 
headed the Oneidas when they came from New York to 
Wisconsin. In his younger days he was of very striking 
appearance, being six feet tall and weighing about 200 
pounds. A most noted orator of his tribe, he had much 
to do with its affairs. He was a delegate at Albany, 
N. Y., when the lands of the tribe in that State were sold, 
and also a representative to Washington when their re- 
moval to Wisconsin was being arranged with the Govern- 
ment. He was looked up to and had much authority as 
an adviser of his people not only at this important crisis 
in the removal of the tribe, but throughout his long life. 
Many and great were the changes that Skenandoah saw 
in his people from the time he brought them into what 
was then practically the great unknown Northwest until 
the close of his life in 1897. 

"Another famous Chief of the Oneidas and the most 
noted of the Council Chiefs was the great orator Daniel 
Bread. He, too, was most prominent in the affairs of the 
Nation, both during their residence in New York, and 
after their establishment in the Wisconsin Home. 

"Let us try and imagine the scene of one of the last 
famous Councils presided over by these great Chiefs of 
Oneida, Skenandoah and Bread. Picture the goodly ar- 
ray of Chiefs in coats, more, in blankets and decorated 
with feathers, wampum and vermilion. No one has 
brought his weapon of war, but all have come with the 
pipe, the sacred emblem of peace. They have been called 
to the Council to meet the Governor, and receive his 
proposition to sell this new country upon which they have 



174 THE ONEIDAS. 

so recently settled, and move on again, this time beyond 
the Mississippi. This would involve the removal of all 
the Indians known as the New York Indians, the 
Brothertowns, the Stockbridges and the Oneidas. They 
are told they had already agreed in 183 1, to sell their 
country whenever the President wished to purchase. 
This clause, however, had been fraudulently inserted 
after the treaty was signed at Washington. 

"The Brothertown chiefs said their tribe had long since 
lost their own language, and had become so entirely iden- 
tified with the whites in manners, habits and pursuits, that 
they were reluctant about moving and wished they might 
be permitted to remain as citizens of the United States. 
The Stockbridges wished first to examine the country 
which the President proposed to give them. It is said of 
the Stockbridges, that with their venerable Chief Met- 
oxen at their head, they had for a long time professed 
Christianity, and every morning and evening during the 
session of the Council, they sung hymns to the Saviour 
and offered prayers. Their quiet behavior was also re- 
marked upon as being in strong contrast with the noise 
and misconduct of some of the white men." 

The Oneidas were totally averse to removal. The 
Chiefs of the "First Christian Party," as the Oneidas 
were called, did not come to the Council, until they were 
sent for the third time. And then their orator, Chief 
Daniel Bread came into prominence. His speech made at 
this Council, shows the dignity of his clear oratory. 

"Father : What we have long feared has at last come to 
us. We have just settled in this country; have hardly 
laid down the packs from our shoulders and recovered 
from the fatigue of our journey here, when you wish us 
again to remove. It is discouraging. It discourages 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 175 

those that have come out from New York, and those left 
behind. 

"Father: The white men are powerful, and they are 
rich. You can turn the river of the water; you can dig 
away the mountain ; why then do you want the little spot 
that we have? It is but a little time since, and we pos- 
sessed the whole country ; now you have gained all but a 
few spots. Why will you not permit us to remain ? 

"Father: We are thankful for the good example of the 
white man. They have taught us to cultivate our lands ; 
we wish to follow that example still ; we have felt the 
effects of removal. It is like a feather blown about by the 
wind ; we wish to be like those heavy substances which 
stay in the ground. If we are like the feather, we may 
soon be blown beyond the Rocky Mountains. 

"Father: We are in great distress. W r e go to our work, 
and while cutting down the trees, it seems as if a whip 
were held over us. Something tells us, 'This is not yours.' 

"Father: You promise us a good country beyond the 
Mississippi. We are satisfied with the soil and climate 
where we now are, and besides, how can we live in peace 
with the natives there? In former years, they have had 
war with our people ; we killed many of them ; blood is 
yet on the knife. How can we meet them in peace? 

"Father: We have long shown our good feeling to the 
white man, by giving them room. We have given them 
lands, until they have a greater country than Great Brit- 
ain. It is not yet full. Why then will you not suffer us 
to remain ? The white people in our neighborhood do not 
disturb us; we wish to live with them still; we want to 
remain where we are." 

It was in the year 1823, that their removal from New 
York seemed inevitable and was decided upon, when a 



176 THE ONEIDAS. 

large portion of the Oneidas, preceded by Eleazer Wil- 
liams and their Chief Skenandoah, left New York for 
their new home. The position chosen by their chiefs was 
a valley, or strip of land, 8 or 9 miles wide and 12 long, 
a few miles west of Green Bay, Wisconsin. A small 
stream ran through it, where the Indians could fish ; and 
here were wild fowl in abundance. The little river they 
named Ta-lon-ga-wa-nay, "the place of the many ducks" ; 
and their Reservation was long known as the Duck Creek 
Mission. The great arm of Lake Michigan known to us 
as Green Bay, became in their speech Haw-ha-La-lik- 
ong-gay, "the home of many men." 

The land they had purchased was an unbroken forest, 
and the streams which threaded this wilderness had worn 
for themselves deep channels, from which the timber land 
rose in easy elevation on either bank, assuming here and 
there the dignity of hills. The forest was chiefly com- 
posed of pine, oak, chestnut and maple. The Oneidas 
were busy people in getting settled on their Reservation. 
The first step of the red people was to build wigwams of 
bark along the banks of the streams ; then came the 
clearing of a small space in the forest for the little fields 
of maize, beans and potatoes. 

The toil of the first year was severe, and it fell chiefly 
upon the women. The Oneida men, at heart, still despised 
field labor. However they supplied the families well with 
game, venison, wild turkeys, duck and fish. Matters 
went on quietly and steadily in the new country. The 
bark wigwams disappeared; cabins of unhewn logs took 
their place. The size of the little fields was enlarged. 
The number of cattle and sheep increased. After a time, 
the men went to work more in earnest; cows, and oxen, 
and swine were purchased ; the plough was set in motion ; 




I^og- Church Built by Eleazer Williams about 1S2 
The Original Hubart Church 




Duck Creek 



REMOVAL TO WISCONSIN. 177 

a few horses appeared on the largest farms. Still the 
people were very poor and had many hardships to con- 
tend with. They mourned for the old gardens and 
orchards, and fruit trees they had left behind them. But 
with help from their faithful missionary, Eleazer Wil- 
liams, they were encouraged to plant fruit trees, cultivate 
their grounds, and send their children to him for instruc- 
tion. Though slowly, they were steadily making more 
hopeful advancements on their Reservation. 

Every Sunday the little flock gathered for public wor- 
ship beneath the shade of the old trees. Other small bands 
arrived, from time to time, from the old home. A little 
church was built, of hewn logs. The task was undertaken 
with a good will ; men and women all were ready to lend 
a helping hand. The timber was chosen standing ; in the 
old forest these trees were felled, the bark was removed, 
and the logs were neatly squared. 

When the little building was completed, a name had to 
be chosen. The Oneidas wished to know if their little 
rude church of logs, so far away in the wilderness, might 
bear the name of their "Father," Bishop Hobart. Their 
wish was complied with, and their church still bears to- 
day the name of "Hobart Church." The accompanying 
sketch of the little log church was made from a descrip- 
tion of it, given by one of the very old women of the tribe, 
who could just remember how the building looked. 

Bishop Hobart was not unmindful of them, though re- 
moved from his State and jurisdiction. He visited them 
in their new home and gave them much helpful advice. 
Although small bands were arriving at the new reserva- 
tion, a considerable number of the Oneidas were still 
upon their old grounds in New York. Through Mr. 
Williams's efforts, with approval from Bishop Hobart 



i8o THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter XV. 

Ordination and Retirement. 

On first going to Green Bay, the Rev. Mr. Williams 
had found Colonel Pinkney, his old friend and comrade 
in the War of 1812, in command of the garrison there. 
And he, together with his officers, received Mr. Williams 
with great cordiality. While delayed at the Bay for 
some time, to effect a treaty, he regularly held church 
services in the garrison, except administering the Sacra- 
ment. They are said to have been the very first services 
of our Church ever held west of Lake Michigan. These 
services were so well attended, often by more than 300 
persons, that a neat chapel was fitted up. With con- 
scientious zeal, beloved by many, Mr. Williams thus 
labored for Christ's sake. He received no missionary 
stipend or other remuneration than occasional gratuities 
from the officers. 

Says a writer familiar with those times : "Mr. Williams 
might have gained wealth and position had money been 
his object ; he might have acquired military, or political 
importance had ambition been his ruling passion. He 
was simply an enthusiast for the welfare of others." 
While with the garrison at Green Bay, Mr. Williams 
became acquainted with a young lady of French and In- 
dian extraction, named Magdeline Hobart Jourdan. 
The father is said to have been a near relative of Mar- 
shall Jourdan, one of Bonaparte's officers. The mother 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 181 

was a Menominee Indian, and through her parents Mag- 
deline was put in possession of 4,000 or 5,000 acres of 
land on the borders of the Fox River, a few miles distant 
from Green Bay. The land in question was one of those 
tracts that had long been known as the hunting-ground of 
the Jourdans. 

The young lady is said to have been very beautiful and 
of great personal attraction. She was educated, accom- 
plished, and possessed rare sweetness of disposition. Mr. 
Williams was united to her in marriage at Green Bay, 
March 3, 1823. The Rev. J. H. Hanson, who writes very 
interestingly of those times, says: "To avoid all future 
trouble concerning the title of the property, it was on the 
22nd of August, 1825, made over to Mrs. Williams by 
deed from the Chiefs, Warriors and head men of the 
Menominee Nation in which they say: 'For and in con- 
sideration of their love and friendship for Magdeline 
Williams and her heirs of the Menominee Nations, and 
in consideration of the sum of $50, they gave, bargained, 
sold and quit-claimed the said property to her and her 
heirs forever.' " 

To make it more sure, as property was then held by the 
husband only, we find that, "In article 9 of the treaty of 
1838 between R. H. Gillet, Commissioner on the part 
of the United States, and the Chiefs of the New York 
Indians, this property was guaranteed to Mr. Williams in 
fee simple by patent from the President." This was a 
mere form, and understood to have no connection what- 
ever with remuneration by Government for services ren- 
dered by Mr. Williams to the Indians, since it was his 
wife's estate, and owned by her at the time of her mar- 
riage. And yet later it was unjustly so considered; for 
on account of these lands belonging to his wife, Mr. 



182 THE ONBIDAS. 

Williams was not remunerated by Congress, as he should 
have been. 

The property became involved through financial trou- 
ble, until only a few acres and the farmhouse were 
finally left to Mrs. Williams ; these she occupied at the 
time of her death. In a similar way, Mr. Williams was 
not only later defrauded, through unjust appeals made 
to the St. Regis Indians, out of what was justly his due, 
but even in after life was accused of defrauding those for 
whom he had cheerfully sacrificed time, means and all 
he possessed. 

In justice to him, we would recall one instance of the 
world's mis judgments. Government acknowledged the 
provision made in a treaty to remunerate the chiefs, war- 
riors and agent of the Oneidas, and for $5,000 to 
be appropriated to Mr. Williams, acting as such for 
them. Though his claim, and admitted by the Com- 
missioner to be just, for services and expenses met by 
him, should have been $8,000, he did not receive even the 
smaller sum during his stay at Duck Creek. And most 
singularly this effort became mixed up with a later claim 
by the St. Regis Indians for Mr. Williams. 

They were petitioning Government for $5,000, $4,000 
of which they wished and fully intended should go to Mr. 
Williams as his due. And to this fact W. L. Grey the in- 
terpreter gave his affidavit. "They refused," he said, "to 
receive the whole $5,000, because they knew that $4,000 
of that money had been promised Mr. Williams." After 
this statement they received the $1,000, but the rest of 
the money due, as with the Green Bay treaty, remained 
unpaid. 

Some years later, in June, 1850, the chiefs of the 
American part of the St. Regis Indians addressed a peti- 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 183 

tion to the President on behalf of Mr. Williams, stating 
that they had no claim whatever to this money, and that 
some unauthorized person was trying to obtain it for them 
with the expectation of fee; that it was due to Mr. Wil- 
liams as their agent ; that he had expended a large sum on 
their behalf; and that the Commissioner, Air. Schermer- 
horn, had certified his right to it. "Mr. Williams," they 
said, "is entitled to receive the $4,000 as he has honorably 
fulfilled the stipulation of the treaty. We have been 
remunerated for the money expended by the tribe, but 
not so with our agent, and we hope the money as before 
stated, will no longer be withheld from him." 

One would suppose that Congress would at once have 
acted upon this appeal. But another delay occurred, and 
the same wily lawyer, Hon. R. H. Gillet, who had drawn 
up the papers connected with Mrs. Williams's lands, and 
knew they were hers alone, in some way convinced mem- 
bers of Congress that Mr. Williams had already received 
sufficient lands to remunerate him for his services to the 
Oneidas, and the St. Regis Indians also. 

Says the Rev. Mr. Hanson : "The facts in the case, and 
I shall confine myself to evident facts, are these, that 
after the St. Regis Indians had repeated and solemnly 
renounced all rights and title to the $4,000 in favor of 
Mr. Williams, Mr. Gillet although being aware of 
his claims, made efforts to induce some of the St. 
Regis Indians to apply for the money, through him, 
for themselves which they finally did. I do not say a 
word to impugn his perfectly honorable disinterestedness. 
That is a question I will not touch upon. My only aim is 
to vindicate the character of Mr. Williams. You can 
judge, though of the necessity for this when you hear 
that Mr. Gillet stated in Congress, as before; 'I cannot 



184 THE ONBIDAS. 

see that Mr. Williams has especial claims upon the fund 
after receiving his valuable lands, which certainly are 
equal to the value of any services rendered by him.' " 

Could there be anything more unjust? And we would 
add, can any prejudiced mind now believe that the In- 
dians were defrauded by Mr. Williams? On the con- 
trary, we see that he was defrauded twice over, and not 
only of money his due, but of what was a thousand times 
of more value to him and his family, a just and honorable 
name. Says one who knew him well : "The pen almost 
grows weary with recording even in the briefest manner, 
the troubles, disappointments, injuries and insults heaped 
on this suffering man. From first to last it is impossible 
to discover any instance in which he departed from the 
strict course of duty and honor. All who had aided to 
increase the burdens of his life, at some period bore wit- 
ness to his worth. But the complicated web of injustice 
and wrong goes on steadily increasing to the end." 

Solomon, the wise, tells us "Man is born to trouble as 
the sparks fly upward." And surely Mr. Williams real- 
ized this to a more remarkable degree than falls to the 
lot of many. From his earliest childhood he certainly had 
a large share of trials, sufferings and sorrows. Says 
one, "The result of all exertions from boyhood of Mr. 
Williams for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the 
Indians was the loss of everything. Every event in his 
life had gone against him, health, property, home sacri- 
ficed and reputation endangered, and simply because he 
was in a way unfortunate and unable to cope with the 
various difficulties that surrounded him." 

While among the Oneidas in the State of New York, 
Mr. Williams had rearranged Brant's Mohawk Prayer 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 185 

Book, and with help from Bishop Hobart, had had it 
republished. A few years later he made an entire trans- 
lation of his own, and also prepared a spelling-book for 
them. When their removal from New York was thought 
best, it was with reluctance he gave up his mission for a 
time, to go forth, as others advised, to seek a new coun- 
try for them. Long years after, he pointed out to a 
friend a most beautiful spot near the Fox River, and said : 
"It is here I would have reared a great school and also a 
University for the Oneidas, Menominees, and all the In- 
dians of this Territory." 

But from the first, as we have already shown, he was 
misunderstood, and his motives and desires for them 
were so misjudged that deep clouds rested over him, ap- 
parently small in the beginning, but increasing in size, 
darkness and oppressive weight. However, bearing the 
Indians in his daily thoughts and prayers, Mr. Williams 
left the easier position he was gaining at Green Bay for 
the Reservation at Duck Creek, to teach and help them 
give a more cultivated and home-like look to their new 
settlement. At times he suffered severely from ill- 
health. 

Says one familiar with that period : "While Mr. Wil- 
liams's mental powers were vigorous, and his exertions 
intense, every season of exertion was followed by a pros- 
tration of health. It was so in the present instance. He 
continued, however, laboring unweariedly, for his duties 
were such as scarcely to admit of cessation. At length, 
in the midst of his favorite Christmas solemnities, his 
voice failed while chanting, and bleeding of the lungs 
ensued. This attack was followed by a long and severe 
illness. 

Mr. Williams's ordination had long been postponed, in 



186 THE ONBIDAS. 

part from his being a supposed Indian, though, as all 
admitted, he did not bear the slightest resemblance to one, 
and in part from his own retiring disposition. But in the 
spring of 1826, and in the hopes of bringing the detrac- 
tions injuring him at the East to an immediate issue, he 
decided that it was best for him to be ordained. When 
Bishop Hobart was appealed to, he approved, and as he 
knew of some of Eleazer's trials, he appointed St. Peter's 
Church, Oneida County, the scene of his former labors 
and home of his detractors, as the place where the rite 
should be performed. 

The signatures to the canonical recommendation were 
of the most gratifying kind. As already shown, the false 
charges made against Mr. Williams were formally with- 
drawn the evening before the ordination, "and," says Mr. 
Hanson, "by one who had not ceased to blacken the repu- 
tation of a man every way his superior, and whose liter- 
ary labors he even had no hesitation to pass for his own." 

But all seemed bright now to Eleazer Williams. The 
Bishop, accompanied by eight prominent clergymen from 
the city of New York and elsewhere, were met at a dis- 
tance by a delegation of chiefs and others, and in their 
usual manner escorted to the church. After morning 
prayer and the confirmation of a large number of Indians, 
the Bishop, it is said, made an address of apostolic simpli- 
city, which was interpreted to the Indians. At its con- 
clusion several of the chiefs who had accompanied Mr. 
Williams from Wisconsin stood by, and one after another 
each placed his hand as token of assent on the right shoul- 
der of the one next before him, the foremost one, 
placing his hand upon the shoulder of the candidate for 
ordination. 

Mr. Williams, as the representative of them all then 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 187 

addressed the Bishop on behalf of those who had adhered 
to and followed him to the West, praying him still to ex- 
tend his paternal care over them in spiritual things after 
their departure to their distant and new home. The 
Bishop is said to have affectionately responded with the 
zealous fervor so characteristic of him. We cannot here 
give his address in full, but he closed with these words : 

"You go forth the first Indian vested by our Church 
with the commission without which no man can rightly 
minister in holy things. Duties and difficulties you will 
have of no ordinary kind. To discharge these duties and 
overcome these difficulties exert all your powers and call 
forth that grace of God's Spirit which you must con- 
stantly implore. Great your labor, great your diffi- 
culties, but great also may be your reward — what a 
transcendent reward is the prospect of the fulfilment to 
you of the gracious promise : 'They who turn many to 
righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever.' " 

With these words ringing in his ears, Mr. Williams 
knelt at the feet of his friend and Bishop and received in 
ordination the Apostolic Laying on of Hands. The pros- 
pect seemed once more bright before him, and sur- 
rounded with the fruits and evidences of past labors, and 
with a heart beating high with the hope of converting 
into a smiling garden the western wilderness which was 
to be the scene of his future toils, he rose to carry thither 
the cross and preach the Gospel to the Indians. 

After his return to Duck Creek, he was reappointed 
missionary to the Oneidas, glad to spend his life among 
the people he loved, and who were now in larger numbers 
coming to their new home in the west. His position, 
however, was peculiar. Says one : "He was not only 
spiritual pastor over the Indians, but their secular cham- 



188 THE ONEIDAS. 

pion, for he could not cease to defend the disputed title to 
their newly acquired possessions." 

We find that not only was it Mr. Williams's desire, but 
that a stipulation was made in the treaty to establish two 
large schools for the Menominees and the Oneidas. This 
treaty was not ratified at once, as it should have been by 
Government, neither could Mr. Williams get assistance in 
building the schools as promised. When after much 
trouble and anxiety, and expensive journeys to Washing- 
ton, he failed, the Menominees on this account backed out 
of their compact and refused the number of acres prom- 
ised. All the blame was then thrown upon Mr. Williams. 

After persistent efforts, however, Government was 
finally roused to ratify them in a grant of 65,000 acres in 
the upper part of Wisconsin. Mr. Williams had felt 
bound in honor and duty to fight for them ; for he could 
not tamely permit them to be altogether despoiled 
by a few unprincipled Indians and politicians of 
what was designed to be the magnificent heritage of their 
children. How some of his measures on their behalf 
were defeated, or how many of his best endeavors for 
them fell through, we cannot now enter upon. But to the 
Rev. Eleazer Williams, more than any other man, is due 
the credit for the Oneidas' finally faring as well as they 
did. 

There were those who better understood business af- 
fairs, and knew how to take advantage of the least loop- 
hole they could find and so turn things to suit themselves, 
and it was this Mr. Williams had to contend against. He 
had one great fault, or failing. He was no financier. 
The most he seems to have cared for in acquiring lands, 
or money, was for his "Oneida children," as he often 
termed them. He was long in receiving what was due 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 189 

him by the Government for services during the War of 
18 1 2, and this, we find, was nearly all spent in their in- 
terest and in defending their rights. To his own inter- 
ests he seems to have paid little attention. From the 
Board of Missions for his church work he received, 
after his reappointment, a salary of $62.50 per quarter 
year. For this small sum he was expected not 
only "to perform the ordinary duties of a clergy- 
man, but to keep, or cause to be kept without addi- 
tional charge to the Society, a permanent school for the 
instruction of the children of the Oneida Indians and such 
others as may desire it." 

Amid his many and arduous duties, and in order that 
the children might be better cared for, we hear of his 
hiring a teacher at a salary of $150 or $200 a year, while 
the surplus constituted his only remuneration for looking 
after the spiritual and temporal welfare of them all. And 
at this very time, and for years afterward, he was forced 
to defend their rights, at his own expense. Trial upon 
trial seems to have followed him, and all borne with a 
meek Christian spirit, while his journal is full of devout 
expressions of prayer and praise for the least mercy re- 
ceived. He was gifted, too ; wrote music and poetry, and 
is said to have preached excellent sermons with great 
earnestness. 

At one time, when taking his wife to New York, where 
she was confirmed by Bishop Hobart, they received 
marked attention, and everywhere he was thought by his 
looks and manners to be a Frenchman with a decidedly 
marked bearing of the Bourbons. Miss Susan F. Cooper, 
who had travelled abroad, and had met members of the 
Orleans family, as well as seen portraits of Louis XVI., 
was struck by the likeness to them seen in the Rev. 



190 THE ONEIDAS. 

Eleazer Williams. She met him in society in Washington, 
in 1856, and says : "He had the Bourbon cast of features 
familiar to us, and his face was remarkably like that of 
Louis XVI. A sermon preached by him in the Church 
of the Epiphany at this time was very impressive." 

Whenever Mr. Williams was questioned as to his child- 
hood he could give no definite reply more than to say, "all 
is a blank to me." He had no conception, when so ques- 
tioned, of its being supposed by some that he might be the 
lost Dauphin. He was simply mystified by hints given 
him by a priest and others that "he was, perhaps, of 
higher birth than of the St. Regis Indians," and thought 
it possible that he might have been left among them by 
some distinguished Frenchman. 

After the accident in childhood, and his return to con- 
sciousness, he had at times a vague and indefinite remem- 
brance of a hideous face to which he could attach neither 
name nor place ; of being once in a room where there were 
persons magnificently dressed, and lying on the carpet 
with his head resting against the silk dress of a lady; of 
splendid architecture ; of troops exercising in a garden, 
and things of a similar character, all, however, in chaotic 
confusion, indistinct and unconnected, like a dream, a 
phantom of the night ; so he paid little attention to these 
things. His duty and life-work for the Indians he felt 
was of the most importance. 

But, says the Rev. Mr. Hanson, his contemporary : 
"The misconceptions of his best endeavors were enough to 
appal any one. Human nature can only endure a certain 
amount of hardship, disappointment and trouble, and the 
energies of the strongest will relax. His health was bad. 
his prospects clouded, and his difficulties of all kinds daily 
increasing. If he succumbed in severe depression under 



ORDINATION AND RETIREMENT. 191 

the accumulated burden it is only what another would 
have done." But once more Mr. Williams rallied his 
energies. An appeal was made to the benevolence of the 
Church through Bishop Onderdonk to help sustain the 
mission at Duck Creek. He at once kindly summoned a 
missionary meeting at Christ Church, New York, and 
much was promised, but it is said, like most affairs of the 
kind, there was more sound than substance about it, and 
the small collection made on the occasion and the few dol- 
lars Mr. Williams obtained in Connecticut and Western 
Xcw York were of little permanent benefit to the mission. 

Now feeling his physical inability for exertion he was 
anxious to retire from the mission but agreed to continue 
it for another year at the request of the Bishop. At this 
time he was to have been admitted to Priest's Orders, 
from which out of diffidence he had abstained. But the 
approach of cholera hastened his return to the West, that 
he might be at his post if the pestilence attacked his peo- 
ple. This year's labors and its added trials we cannot 
now recount. In September, 1830, or 1831, Mr. W r illiams, 
finding that dissensions among his congregation grow- 
ing out of an act of discipline could not be allayed, and 
having neither heart nor strength to contend with those 
for whose services he had devoted his life, resigned his 
charge, after preaching a most earnest and touching ser- 
mon. 

Says one who knew him well : "If ever there was a man 
who had proved he had at heart the temporal and spir- 
itual welfare of his people, and desired to spend and be 
spent for them, it was the Rev. Eleazer Williams." After 
six years among the Indians in New York, and eight or 
more years on the Reservation at Duck Creek, he felt 
unfitted for service elsewhere, and thought it best to 



1 92 THE ON HI DAS. 

retire to his farm on Fox River, and in peace and retire- 
ment with his family recruit his health, worn down by- 
fatigue, anxiety and sorrow. 

He is said to have celebrated Christmas with a few 
friendly Indians at his farm. And his journal for that year 
closes with devout aspirations to God : "Blessed be the 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath 
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in him, and grant 
us to enjoy the day which the Patriarch foresaw and the 
Prophets foretold and the righteous men of the earth de- 
sired, Hosanna to the Son of David who comes in the 
name of the Lord !" 

Air. Williams never showed resentment against his 
enemies, but in the same sweet and humble Christian 
spirit he seems to have bowed to whatever befell him. 
The winter, spring and summer passed rapidly to him, 
and we find his thoughts once more turned toward the 
Indians and what he could do for them. The family at 
St. Regis were nearly all gone, and mostly through con- 
sumption, except the mother, whom he had not seen in a 
long time and towards whom he had always paid a duti- 
ful respect, though he had ceased to believe himself her 
son ; so he turned his steps thither. 

As his own family, and all his means of subsistence 
were at Fox River, he did not propose a permanent resi- 
dence in the State of New York, but thought he might be 
instrumental in founding an Indian Protestant school 
which another could conduct. He seems to have grieved 
that they were so completely under Romish influences. 
He worked hard among them for some time at Caugh- 
nawaga and Hogansburg, trying to establish schools, 
going back and forth to his family in Wisconsin as often 
as his limited means would permit. 



THE LOST PRINCE. 193 



Chapter XVI. 
The Lost Prince. 

It was while Mr. Williams was engaged in his work at 
Hcgansburg that publicity was given to the claim that in 
this humble Indian missionary might be found a solution 
to the mystery connected with the lost Dauphin of France. 
Mr. Williams had received word that the Prince de Join- 
ville was in this country and was intending to go to Green 
Bay to see him. At that time he does not seem to have 
had the slightest idea why the Prince should wish to see 
him, for in speaking of it afterward he said : "I was sur- 
prised with the communication but supposed however 
that as I had resided for a long time in the west and had 
been Chaplain to General Taylor he might desire some 
local information he was told I could give him as readily 
as most men." 

Mr. Williams at once hastened his return to the Bay 
when quite unexpectedly he boarded the same boat from 
Mackinac to Green Bay on which the Prince de Join- 
ville and some of his suite already were. When well under 
way the captain informed him that the Prince wished to 
speak to him. Mr. Williams in reply sent back his com- 
pliments with the word that he would be at his service at 
any time. When brought to Mr. Williams the Prince 
started visibly, and is reported to have been much agi- 
tated. The Captain and membersgof his suite noticed it, as 
also the great deference shown Mr. Williams by the 



194 THE ONEIDAS. 

Prince. Their conversation was upon ordinary subjects 
concerning the West and his work among the Indians. 
But every look and gesture the Prince noted and seemed 
affected by. He wished Mr. Williams to be placed beside 
him at dinner, but this the missionary declined. 

When they reached the Bay the Prince was anxious to 
have Mr. Williams stop with him at the Astor House, but 
he refused, promising to meet him in the evening. 

In the meantime he hastened to his family at Fox 
River. It was in the evening, on his return to Green 
Bay, and at the Astor House, that the Prince de Join- 
ville is said to have informed him that he was the 
Dauphin, or rather the son of Louis XVI. and Marie 
Antoinette. It was a startling and painful interview to 
Mr. Williams, and he was so overcome that the Prince 
left him for a time, after placing a parchment in French 
and English before him to read and sign. 

Over and over again he read it. It was a formal 
abdication of the throne of France in favor of Louis 
Philippe, by himself, Louis XVII., King of France and 
Navarre, with all the accompanying names and titles of 
honor, according to the customs of the old French mon- 
archy. In consideration of this abdication, a princely 
establishment should be secured to him either in America, 
or France ; and Louis Philippe would see to the restora- 
tion of the private property of Louis XVI., destroyed by 
the French Revolution. After much deliberation, Mr. 
Williams decided against signing the document. 

Afterward, in speaking of it he said : "It was a deeply 
painful and harrowing time, and I cannot tell you, and 
you cannot imagine, how I felt when trying to decide the 
question ; but I finally told the Prince that whatever 
might be the personal consequences to myself, I felt that 



THE LOST PRINCE. 195 

I could not be the instrument of bartering away with my 
own hand the right pertaining to me by birth, and sacri- 
ficing the interests of my family, and that I could only 
give him the answer which De Provence gave to another 
ambassador of Napoleon at Warsaw : 'Though I am in 
poverty and exile I will not sacrifice my honor.' " 

We cannot dwell upon this interview or the effects of 
this singular communication to Mr. Williams. It was 
with no elation but more of a shock, with deep depression, 
and at times with almost horror, as he recalled the treat- 
ment of his parents and his own exile. Again, a rebel- 
lious questioning as to why it should have been ; then a 
humble confession to his Heavenly Father as to the sin- 
fulness of such thoughts, when he dismissed them. 

To many letters of enquiry he made no reply, saying, 
"the subject is a very afflictive one to me. It has been, 
and is, a very great annoyance from which I would gladly 
be delivered." To his friend, the Rev. Mr. Hanson, he 
once wrote : "You cannot be surprised, reverend Sir, 
when I say that my feelings have been such at times as no 
person could describe, nor tongue express. I am in a 
state of exile among the Indians, and although connected 
with a Christian Church with means in abundance to sus- 
tain her humble, and self-denying missionaries, I am 
often in need. It is true I am allowed a small salary, but 
scarcely sufficient to clothe me. But I still continue to 
labor in the cause of my Divine Master; I seek not an 
earthly crown but a heavenly, where we shall be made 
kings and priests unto God. To Him be glory and do- 
minion forever and ever. Gracious is the promise of my 
Blessed Saviour; 'Be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
give thee a crown of life.' ' At times, it is true. Mr. Wil- 
liams's ambition was roused, and he very deeply felt, as 



196 THE ONEIDAS. 

he said, the strangeness of his position and the news im- 
parted to him. But as a general thing, he not only fully 
realized the futility of seeking for restoration in France, 
but at heart he was a truly humble Christian, loving God 
and seeking to serve Him as King of Kings through his 
appointed work to teach the heathens. It has been very 
oddly stated, that among other things which caused him 
to abandon all thoughts of going to France to claim his 
rights, was a game of chess with its many intricate moves. 
In a letter to his father, Jacques D'Arminville of 
France, the son writes : "I reached this Settlement in 
June (referring to Green Bay). I found ready employ- 
ment with the Hudson Bay Company. I was directed 
for learning Indian words to Lazarre Williams, who un- 
derstood both the French and Indian languages. Never 
was I more surprised than when that man stood before 
me. Tall, impressive, commanding, his eyes deep-set 
and dark, and a keen fearless look that brought back the 
time that I was privileged to look upon the features of 
my Monarch. When I told him of my purpose in seek- 
ing him out, he readily promised to teach me the language 
of his children, as he called them. He was a missionary, 
absorbed in his work among the Indians, and found little 
time for recreation, but I, who loved the game, instructed 
him in chess. 

"Often he spoke to me of his high origin, declaring a 
purpose of returning to his native land and claiming his 
heritage. This, I believe, he would have done had I not 
shown him the game of chess. One evening we sat over 
a game. I taught him more moves ; the game fell to me. 
For a time he sat musing, then he raised his head and 
said determinedly : 'I see now the futility of vain am- 
bition and hope of glory. Better am I to be here as a 



THE LOST PRINCE. 197 

servant of God among savages than to be seated on the 
throne of my fathers. A man who is a true subject of 
the highest of kings, is greater than earthly potentates.' 
Though I saw him often after this, he never again men- 
tioned his ambition." 

At parting Mr. Williams gave his friend a few choice 
relics of the Bourbons in his possession, which are said 
now to be owned by a grandson, Francis D'Arminville. 

Some have wondered that the Prince de Joinville 
should have made such a disclosure to the Rev. Mr. Wil- 
liams, living in comparative obscurity. Others, on this 
account, and with doubt as to any one's rejecting such a 
splendid offer as the Prince's are said to have scouted at 
the whole story as utterly improbable. The fact, how- 
ever, of his coming to this country and seeking out Mr. 
Williams cannot be controverted ; it was too generally 
known. The reason for this disclosure was undoubtedly 
the fear that his father, Louis Philippe, who is said to 
have sent him, felt that some one in America might reveal 
to Mr. Williams his birth and heritage and influence him 
to come to claim it. 

His cruel uncle, as Louis XVIII. , had after ten years' 
reign died, and his brother the Duke d'Artois had become 
Charles X. Fears had, as we know, been entertained by 
both Marie Antoinette and Louis XYI. as to the loyalty 
of either of these two brothers towards their son, the 
Dauphin. Each took part in the stirring conflicts of 
France, first one party, then the other, the Bonapartist, 
having ascendency. At the time of the revelation, 
Eleazer's relative Louis Philippe was in possession of the 
throne. But his reign was not popular, and he was 
driven into exile a few years later. No doubt a constant 
fear was felt by these usurpers, and perhaps some com- 
punctions of conscience. 



198 THE ONEIDAS. 

Eleazer Williams seems to have been closely watched 
over from the time he was placed among the Indians. 
Priests among the St. Regis, or at Montreal, were evi- 
dently in possession of a secret of some kind, from the 
hints they threw out and the efforts made to convert him 
to Romanism. The Williams family, staunch Catholics, 
held tight whatever secret they had, partly under the in- 
fluence of their priest, who hated Lazarre, as he was often 
called, for being a Protestant, and therefore did not wish 
for his advancement; so it was long before he suspected 
that he was merely adopted by Williams, neither his name 
nor his Baptism was found recorded among those of the 
other ii children. Mrs. Williams, the last of the family, 
if questioned, would neither deny nor confess to his being 
her son. 

It was well known during Eleazer's childhood that 
Thomas Williams, the reputed father, went to Albany at 
stated times and returned with money, without any osten- 
sible ways of getting it, and that Lazarre's education and 
clothing were well seen after. The Prince de Joinville, 
as well as others in France, must have known of some of 
these facts, and also that there was a man of the name of 
Bellanger in some part of America who might before his 
death betray the whole well guarded secret. So it 
seemed best to disclose it themselves, with what they 
thought would prove, with secrecy, a magnificent offer to 
the poor missionary. 

Prince de Joinville soon saw his mistake, and that he 
had to deal not only with a humble missionary but with a 
proud Bourbon, a noble man, not willing to sell for a mess 
of pottage his birthright and heritage, though nothing 
might ever come of it to his family or to himself. And 
this was all perfectly characteristic of the man — "a name- 



THE LOST PRINCE. 199 

less something," says one, "that at all times gave credence 
to the story of his being of far higher birth than in the 
wigwam of the Indian." 

The scope of our book will not allow us to give a full 
biographical sketch of this remarkable man, this supposed 
"Lost Prince." Whole books have been devoted to the 
almost exhaustless subject of trying to prove that Eleazer 
Williams was the true Dauphin, only, on account of a 
missing link, to leave it still clouded in mystery. As with 
the "Man of the Iron Mask," so long a puzzle to Euro- 
peans, it can only be conjecture and probably will never 
be known with certainty until all earthly mysteries are 
made plain. 

After the Prince de Joinville's visit to America an arti- 
cle appeared in "Putnam's Magazine," New York, that 
created some sensation and was the means afterwards of 
calling forth numerous known facts in connection with 
the missing Dauphin, and of his having been brought to 
this country and supposedly placed among the Indians. 
A few of these we will present in a brief and condensed 
form. But first it may be best to give some account of 
the child's early life. We must pass over the French 
Revolution and its horrors, the outcome of long years of 
oppression on the part of the privileged nobility ; of pov- 
erty and suffering on the part of the peasant and the arti- 
san ; of heavy taxation and mismanagement of national 
resources. During the resulting strife thousands of 
French citizens were killed, the monarchy was over- 
thrown, and a republic established. King Louis XVI., 
his beautiful Queen, Marie Antoinette, and their two chil- 
dren were confined in the Tower of the Temple, so called 
because it was a part of the former establishment of the 
Knights-Templars. Here they were closely guarded, and 



200 THE ONBIDAS. 

subjected to many cruel indignities. Soon there were 
voices clamoring for the death of the King. He was sent 
to the guillotine, and his last words to his "unhappy peo- 
ple" were drowned by the roll of drums. 

The Queen was left with her children ; but not long af- 
terwards the Dauphin, a bright and beautiful boy, whose 
education his parents had been trying to carry on in 
prison, was taken from his mother and placed in lower 
rooms of the Tower, in charge of a rough and cruel man, 
the cobbler Simon, with the derisive assertion that he 
"could see to his education." 

This last act of cruelty is supposed to have been in- 
stigated by the King's brother, who was looking to the 
throne if the royalists should once more gain the ascend- 
ency. In that case, the Dauphin must be removed from 
his path. The republicans, to whom this crowning infamy 
was secretly suggested, carried it into effect by placing the 
child of eight years under confinement, in the power of 
a merciless jailor. History tells us that he was constantly 
cuffed and beaten, and was forced to deaden his senses 
with liquor, and to sing songs in which coarse allusions 
were made to the beautiful mother whom he had idolized 
and treated with courtly attention. He was too young to 
understand the nature of the songs he sang. He only 
knew that he would be made to suffer if he did not impli- 
citly obey his cruel jailor. If things went wrong with 
Simon, he wreaked his anger on the Dauphin. We read 
that once the cobbler tore down a coarse hanging towel so 
roughly that the nail came with it, and struck the child 
with such force on his head as to make great bleeding cuts 
that scarred him for life. Another time, for not answer- 
ing some one calling at the Tower as he was expected to 
answer, Simon gave his victim a blow that rendered him 






THE LOST PRINCE. 201 

senseless. He was so long in returning- to consciousness 
that the cobbler was alarmed. These blows, together 
with other rigors of his confinement, made him for a time 
a mental wreck. 

To toss and play with a ball had been a favorite amuse- 
ment of the Prince in happier days ; and this ball he was 
often forced to play with when visitors came to the Tem- 
ple, that he might appear to be well and happy. Occa- 
sionally he was taken to the top of the Tower, not for his 
pleasure, but because his jailor wished to take the air and 
have a look over the surrounding country. At these 
times, the mother imprisoned above and hearing them 
come up the stairs, would try, it is said, to get a glimpse 
of her boy through the chinks of her door. His sad, 
pinched face told her of his sufferings. His sister, too, 
would listen for sounds of him in the room below. After 
her son was taken from her, the Queen fell into a state of 
apathy from which nothing but the chance hope of seeing 
him could rouse her. Neither her sister-in-law, the 
Princess Elizabeth, nor her daughter, the royal Princess, 
could awaken in her any interest. And when she too, 
with other lofty spirits, was condemned to death, she re- 
joiced that she was to meet her husband. With uplifted 
head, looking every inch a queen as well as one of the 
most beautiful women of France, she ascended the steps 
of the scaffold and laid her stately head upon the block. 
With the cruelty born of a fiendish nature, Simon, wish- 
ing to see the procession of armed men, took the Dauphin 
to the top of the Tower, and made him play ball while his 
beloved mother was going to her death. Happily, the 
child, too sad to look over the wall, or to care to watch 
the people moving below, did not know what was going 
on, but carelessly tossed his ball as he was bidden to do, 
in fear of a blow if he ceased to play. 



202 THE ONEIDAS. 

The accompanying picture is from one taken by Greuze, 
a French painter, shortly after the Dauphin was confined 
in the Temple. The contour of the face, the upper lip, 
"the Austrian lip," as it is called, and the mouth, though 
slightly parted, all resemble as nearly as possible, in a 
young child, the features seen again in the young student, 
and later in Eleazer, the supposed Lost Dauphin. 

The close confinement of his dark and unventilated 
sleeping-room, his wretched food, taunts and blows, fear 
and grief, all wore upon the hapless Prince. When his 
beautiful curls were gone, when his face was pinched with 
hunger and suffering, and his body covered with ulcers, 
he was so transformed as to be almost unrecognizable to 
the few persons who visited the Temple. He languished, 
and an eminent physician was called to see him. "If the 
child was sent to the country, he could be helped," was 
the opinion of the physician, who soon afterward died 
very suddenly, poisoned, it was suspected. This would 
go to show that the child was doomed to die in his prison. 

But he was transferred from the care of Simon to that 
of a humane jailor, who, it is thought, connived at, if he 
did not assist in, a plot for the escape of the Dauphin. So 
changed was the royal boy, that it would not be difficult, 
in that darkened room, to substitute for him, without de- 
tection, another child nearer death. 

While Simon had been allowed to go all lengths with 
his prisoner to deaden his senses so that he might appear 
almost idiotic, the instigators of that cruelty may not have 
intended that he should be killed outright, though they 
certainly wished him out of ihe way, and wished that the 
republicans should have the credit of getting rid of him. 
It was whispered that Marat and Robespierre had erred 
in not stipulating that Simon should leave his wife behind 




The Dauphin, Louis XVII. 



THE LOST PRINCE. ^03 

him when he undertook the "tutorship" of the Prince. 
Though she was not remarkable for sweetness of disposi- 
tion, she had womanly compassion, and when she could, 
she softened the rigor of her husband's treatment of his 
young prisoner. It was probably owing to this that he 
did not die in the Temple, as many were made to believe 
he did, though not for long. Peculiar circumstances con- 
nected with the burial of the dead child caused doubts and 
suppressed rumors. And later events strengthened these 
doubts, among them the fact that after the restoration of 
the royalists, with Louis XVIII. on the throne, there was 
an ostentatious, mock reburial with magnificent cere- 
monies, of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, with pray- 
ers for the repose of their eldest son, who had died young 
of scrofula, while no allusion was made to the death of 
Louis XVII. The sister, however, and others in the se- 
cret were thus spared further mockery. 

A monument to his memory was talked of by the 
plausible uncle, Louis XVIII., but it was not erected, and 
this fact added to the doubt in regard to the Dauphin's 
death. Though some historians assert that he died in the 
Temple and was buried in France, a very large number of 
persons were confident that he had been removed alive 
from prison and taken to America. But when or how the 
removal was accomplished is the missing link between the 
Dauphin and the earnest Missionary to the Oneidas. 

The first mention of such a child in this country is 
given us in the account of the appearance in Albany of a 
French lady of evident distinction, said to have been once 
"a lady in waiting to Queen Antoinette." She had with 
her two children, one a lad of eight or ten years, and evi- 
dently mentally defective. He took little notice of those 
about him, or of any words addressed to him. The lady, 



2o 4 THE ONBIDAS. 

however, appeared to pay him great deference. "Out of 
delicacy," says the writer, "we refrained from asking any 
questions." "The other child, a daughter of her own, 
seemed to be a very bright, intelligent child. They had 
about them a great many costly things, "gifts of royalty," 
the lady said. With them was another person, since sup- 
posed to have been Bellanger. "They disappeared almost 
as suddenly as they had appeared among us," says the 
same writer, a lady of note. 

Next we hear of a lady of New Orleans, who, for some 
years before the Prince de Joinville's visit to this country, 
had been in the habit of telling her most intimate friends 
of the Dauphin's being brought here and placed among 
the Indians. The story was listened to with incredulity 
by some. Later she was found living in the old French 
part of the town, and the interview with her is thus de- 
scribed by the Rev. Mr. Hanson : 

"It seemed strange to make inquiries in such a spot, of 
events which had happened in Europe more than half a 
century ago. Mrs. Brown had resided in New Orleans 
since 1820. She bore the marks of extreme age, though 
only 70 years old, and gave me the impression of one 
who had seen great vicissitudes. Her health was very in- 
firm, her life drawing to a close through sufferings from 
a cancer. She knew nothing whatever about Eleazer 
Williams. When told of some events concerning him, 
his appearance, and manners, and of his being a Mission- 
ary among the Oneidas, she replied, 'I only wish I was 
as sure of my salvation as I am that he must be the 
Prince.' " 

Her own story was a remarkable one. She had been 
living in France during the most stirring times. Her 
first husband was Joseph Debois, secretary to the Count 



THE LOST PRINCE. 205 

d'Artois. This brought her much among Court people, 
as her husband is said to have occupied a confidential 
position in the royal family. She became acquainted with 
the Count de Lisle, as Louis XVIII. was then called, and 
with the Duke and Duchess d'Angouleme, and was espe- 
cially intimate with the Duchess. There was much con- 
versation among them respecting the Dauphin ; when she 
said her husband, Joseph Debois, told her he was not dead, 
but carried away for safety. "Being alone one day with 
the Duchess," said she to Mr. Hanson, "I mentioned what 
my husband had said, and asked her if it was true, and if 
she knew what had become of her brother ? The Duchess 
replied without hesitation and with an expression of 
pleasure that she had been assured her brother was safe 
in America. Later I heard that a royalist named Bel- 
langer was the chief agent in removing him. As all that 
was told was confidential, I spoke to no one then but my 
husband of what had been told me. All the members of 
the royal family," she added, "were well acquainted with 
the facts of the Dauphin's preservation. They all knew 
it, sir. They all knew it." 

Her husband, Joseph Debois, died in 1810; but after 
his decease she still continued her intimacy with the 
Bourbon family, and was among them until the Restora- 
tion. Later she married an American gentleman named 
George Brown, a seafaring merchantman. From a por- 
trait shown of him, he was a very handsome man. 

When asked why the sister, the Duchess d'Angouleme, 
did not make an effort for her brother's return at this 
time, Mrs. Brown replied: "She could not, though she 
had long hoped to have him restored. Many difficulties 
were in the way. It was long before she knew he was 
still living, and then she had been told of his mental con- 



206 THE ONEIDAS. 

dition and knew he had long been lost, as it were, in the 
wilds of America, among the Indians. France had 
undergone so much terrible strife and bloodshed, she did 
not think best to stir up more. And, too, her husband 
and her uncle striving to be placed on the throne as 
Louis XVIII. , would have opposed it, if he had not denied 
all knowledge of him. But she became sad, very sad; 
was seldom seen to smile during the last years of her 
life," concluded Mrs. Brown. 

The Bellanger mentioned, also living in New Orleans, 
or Helena near there, before dying made a similar state- 
ment in an affidavit that was enclosed in a letter to Mr. 
Williams, and by him in part recorded in his journal. It 
states that in 1848 an aged and respectable French gen- 
tleman of the name of Bellanger made a disclosure at the 
last hour of his life ; that he was the person who had 
aided in the escape of the Dauphin or son of Louis XVI., 
King of France, from the Temple in 1795, in his trans- 
portation to North America, and his adoption among the 
Indians. He stated further that he had been strictly 
bound by the sacramental oath of the Roman Catholic 
Church never to disclose, particularly in Europe, the 
descent or family of the royal youth whom he was about 
to convey to North America. 

It was not until he saw himself drawing near the close 
of his earthly career, with other reasons given to release 
him from his oath, Bellanger saw best to make this dis- 
closure. His whole form was agitated, and tears were 
in his eyes as he spoke in terms of endearment of the 
young Dauphin as he remembered him. And one of his 
last exclamations was : "Oh ! the Dauphin ! May he be 
happy and restored!" We hear of different French gen- 
tlemen, who, on coming to this country said that a Bour- 



THE LOST PRINCE. 207 

bon was among us. The Ambassador Genet even said, in 
the presence of a number of persons, that the Dauphin 
was alive and was known to be in the State of New York 
in 1817. Another, meeting Mr. Williams in the city, and 
being forcibly struck with his resemblance to the Bour- 
bons, and having heard in France of his early life, on 
being introduced to him asked permission to examine his 
scars; when he is said to have exclaimed, "Mon dieu! 
what proof do I want more?" 

Le Ray de Chaumont, whom Mr. Williams met on the 
St. Lawrence, seemed to have some secret knowledge of 
him. And Col. Ferrier, once a body-guard of Louis 
XVI., who had suffered much with the King in perilous 
times, and who afterwards had some dealings with the 
Oneidas in connection with the fur trade, was thought to 
share in LeRay's secret, whatever it might be. Not only 
the Abbe des Colonnes of Trois Rivieres near Caughna- 
waga, but also Bishop Chevreuse, believed the Dauphin 
to be alive in America ; and both declared that the Rev. 
Mr. Williams bore so striking a likeness to Louis XVIII. 
and others of the. Bourbons, he must be the child grown 
to maturity. This was before the Prince de Joinville's 
visit to this country, and his interview with Eleazer Wil- 
liams. 

At another time, a gentleman, Prof. Day, on his return 
from Europe, after an interview with Mr. Williams laid 
some lithographs on the table before him. At the sight of 
one, and without seeing the name, he became greatly 
excited and exclaimed : "This is the face that has haunted 
me through life." It proved to be a likeness of Simon 
the jailor. Previously Mr. Williams had spoken of a 
hideous face that caused him pain to recall, but he could 
not tell whose it was. This cruel man met with his just 



208 THE ONEIDAS. 

punishment, it was thought, when guillotined with 
Robespierre. 

From the Williams family it was learned that two boxes 
of clothing and other articles had been left with Eleazer. 
One of these had been taken away by a daughter of theirs 
and could not be recovered. The other was supposed to 
be in" Montreal, but efforts were made to conceal it. 
From one of the boxes had been taken three coins, or 
medals, one of gold, one of silver, and one of copper. 
They were facsimiles of each other, and the medals struck 
off at the coronation of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette. 
The gold and silver medals of value were said to have 
been sold by the Indians in Montreal. The copper one 
was retained, and long afterwards was given to the Rev. 
Mr. Hanson, while the gold medal was seen in the pos- 
session of a Roman Catholic Bishop at Montreal or 
Quebec. 

The probability that these and other things left with 
the Dauphin for his identification, might be found in 
Montreal, says Mr. Hanson, is increased by the proximity 
of Caughnawaga to that city. It is an Indian village on 
the St. Lawrence opposite Lachine, and almost within 
sight of Montreal. Considering the loneliness of the spot 
in former years, before railroads and steamboats had 
brought it in connection with the busy world, one cannot 
help feeling how secure a hiding-place for the scion of 
royalty this village presented. And the same remarks 
apply more strongly still to St. Regis, which lies on the 
boundary line between Canada and the United States. 

Among relics in Mr. Williams's possession, and greatly 
valued, was the Cross of St. Louis, said to have been 
attached to a sash left with him when a child. Another 
thing of value, and occasionally shown, was a silk dress 



FHE LOST PRINCE. 209 

of Queen Marie Antoinette's. Of it he said : "It was 
given me by a lady, Mrs. Edward Clarke of Northamp- 
ton, who bought it in France of one of the ladies of the 
Court, and who, on hearing my strange story and con- 
sidering me the rightful owner, made me a present of it." 
It was a magnificent brocaded silk, slightly marred by 
time. It had been partly taken to pieces, and consisted 
of a back-piece, stomacher, and train over ten feet long. 
The w : aist was very slender, and "there was pleasure," 
says one in describing it, "in believing that the dress had 
once contained the queenly form of one of the loveliest in 
the halls of Versailles." A friend of the present writer, 
the Rev. Edward de Zeng, was shown this dress, and 
said : "In conversing with the Rev. Mr. Williams, I felt 
assured from his conversation and courtly manner, as well 
as his striking likeness to Louis XVIII., that he was un- 
doubtedly the missing Prince." 

Mr. Williams also kept among his treasures, and took 
pleasure in showing to friends, some miniatures and a 
daguerreotype. "There," said he "is a picture of a very 
beautiful young lady. And that was how I looked when 
I married her," he added, handing the daguerreotype to. 
which he still bore a striking likeness. 

In describing his appearance, the Rev. Mr. Hanson., 
who knew him well, says: "He is an intelligent, noble- 
looking man, with no trace whatever of the Indian about 
him. His manner of talking reminds you of a French- 
man. He shrugs his shoulders and gesticulates like one. 
lie has a fair, high, intellectual, but receding forehead; 
a slightly aquiline nose ; a long Austrian lip, the expres- 
sion of which is of exceeding sweetness when in repose ; 
dark, bright, merry eyes of hazel hue ; dark hair sprinkled 
with gray, as fine in texture as silk. I should never for 



210 THE ONEIDAS. 

an instant take him for an Indian." Says another: "His 
temperament is genial, with a dash of vivacity in his man- 
ner. He is fond of good living, and inclines to embon- 
point, which is the characteristic of the Bourbons." 

A distinguished artist, Chevalier Fagnani, who had 
lived from childhood in intimacy with the families of the 
Sicilian and Spanish Bourbons, of whom he had painted 
several of their reigning Kings and Queens, and whose 
skillful artist eyes were not likely to deceive him, met Mr. 
Williams, for the first time, in a crowded room. Stand- 
ing some little distance at the side of the group, he eyed 
Mr. Williams from head to foot, dwelt upon the contour 
of his face, the play of his features, and the manner of 
his address in conversation. Then, as if satisfied, he 
turned quietly away. A friend standing near said: 
"Well, Fagnani, what do you think as to his being a 
Bourbon?" "I do not think at all; I know," was his 
reply. Later, in painting his portrait from which our 
engraving is taken, Mr. Fagnani said : "the upper part of 
the face is decidedly of the Bourbon cast, while the mouth 
and lower part resembles the Hapsburgs. I also ob- 
served, to my surprise, that many of his gestures were 
similar to those peculiar to the Bourbon race." 

We have mentioned numerous facts to prove almost 
conclusively that the Rev. Mr. W r illiams was indeed the 
Lost Prince. Men of note, his colaborers in the Episco- 
pal Church, such men as the Rev. Dr. Hawks, the Rev. 
J. H. Hanson, Bishop Benjamin B. Griswold, and others 
were of this opinion. In refutation of a remark made by 
some one as to "false claims," Bishop Griswold comes out 
strongly. We give his letter in part : 

"The accomplished writer fails to say the claim rested 
on the disclosure made by the Prince de Joinville directly 







ELEAZER WILLIAMS, 1852 

From a painting by Chevalier Fagnani, a portrait painter in New 

York City (from Lost Prince) 



THE LOST PRINCE. 211 

to the Rev. Mr. Williams himself, accompanied by the 
offer from King Louis Philippe of a princely estate if the 
humble Missionary would sign away forever his royal 
birthright. The antiquated journal kept by Mr. Wil- 
liams is, in its record, made on the very night of the day 
so full of the strongly conflicting emotions so suddenly 
called forth. It is full also of prayerful ejaculations, and 
the language of sanctified submission, Nemo rcpente tur- 
pissinnis fuit. The journal was closely scanned by the 
Rev. Dr. Hawks, the Rev. John H. Hanson, and other 
scholars about thirty or forty years ago. It is certain, 
from sworn evidence, that the Prince de Joinville inquired 
for Mr. Williams through all the journey from his land- 
ing in America to his arrival in Michigan, and the meet- 
ing him there, on board of the boat, for Green Bay. It is 
equally certain that Louis Philippe personally cor- 
responded with Mr. Williams after the return of his son 
to Paris. And the unquestioned evidence of this fact 
was known to Dr. Hawks, and lay before the Rev. Mr. 
Hanson when he wrote his unanswered book, 'The Lost 
Prince.' 

"The first affidavit of the supposed Indian mother re- 
ferred to by — was made under false representations of 
what she was signing. On learning her error she made 
a later affidavit in her own language, copied down, in 
which the real truth was told that the Missionary was not 
her son. My interest in the whole matter grew largely 
out of having seen and heard in early childhood the 
prince-like laborer himself. But the evidences of his 
claim are not only numerous, but they are derived from 
wholly different and widely separate sources." 

"Benj. B. Griswold. 
"Carroll, Baltimore Co., Md." 



212 THE ON EI DAS. 

We have dwelt somewhat upon these events in the life 
of the Rev. Eleazer Williams, Missionary to the Oneidas, 
as they help us better to understand the true character 
of the man and his many peculiar trials. We have indeed 
felt it a more sacred privilege to prove, if possible, Mr. 
Williams the faithful Christian missionary, the guileless, 
humble man to whom false aspersions have clung for 
years, than to try with others to prove that he may have 
been the Lost Prince. And yet the one helps us the bet- 
ter to understand the other — the gentle, refined, and in- 
tellectual man, evidently born in some higher sphere, and 
yet humbly continuing his labors among the Indians, and 
amid many trials, as one sent of God to minister to them. 

Although Mr. Williams had practically given up the 
work at Oneida, yet he did not entirely relinquish his 
ministerial care of his Oneida children. When at his 
home on Fox River, he was often called upon by his old 
friends to baptize a child or visit some sick person. In 
his journal are found a few simple records of that time : 

"Green Bay, Feb. 4, 1841 — I came down in haste this 
morning to visit a sick man. He is in a dangerous state, 
both in soul and body. I have administered to him all the 
consolation which the Christian religion affords and the 
prayers of the Church. 

"Feb. 5, Friday — Called again upon the sick man. He 
is somewhat better. I again exhorted him to have a lively 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Feb. 15 — Our son, who has been very ill, is much bet- 
ter to-day, and I hope he will continue to amend. 

"The weather is fine. I went to the Sugar Camp. 
The Indian boy knocked the snow off the shelters and I 
arranged the sap dishes. The Oneidas have been with us 
and communicated to me some unpleasant news in rela- 



THE LOST PRINCE. 213 

tion to their missionary. I exhorted them to live in peace 
with him and adhere to his instructions. 

"Feb. 16— I have been to Duck Creek and administered 
baptism to a sick child. I believe it is now sick unto 
death. May God receive it to eternal glory ! I saw many 
of my Oneida friends, and they wished me to come back 
to them. 

"April 10 — Mrs. Williams returned from the Sugar 
Camp where she has been superintending for three or 
four weeks past the making of sugar. I have been back 
and forth to see the men do their duty. We have made 
at least a thousand pounds of fine sugar. I have been 
left nearly four weeks alone. I cooked for myself and 
took care of 'the cattle.' " 

Mr. Williams, when not at home, was at Fox River, 
still looking after the schools he had established among 
the St. Regis Indians, as well as to the spiritual welfare 
of those not so entirely under the influences of the Roman 
Catholic priests there. 

At all times, he suffered very severely; had long and 
painful attacks of illness. With less strength, and with 
but little means to travel back and forth, Mr. Williams 
could go less frequently to his home on Fox River. 

His last illness and death occurred in comparative ob- 
scurity among the St. Regis Indians. There were no 
signs of royalty about the humble, yet faithful mission- 
ary. He had not sought earthly distinction, but bravely 
bore a heavy cross that was laid down for the Heavenly 
crown, which at the last great day, he will doubtless re- 
ceive in a far more glorious kingdom. He entered into 
rest August, 1858, aged 70. He left a wife and one son. 
Two little girls had died in childhood. The son, John 
Lowe Williams, had married and at the time of his 



214 THE ONEIDAS. 

father's death, was living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He 
has since passed away, but his widow is said to be still 
living. They had three children. The eldest son, George, 
is the only one living. This grandson of Eleazer Wil- 
liams now resides in St. Louis. He was married in 1884. 
They have no children ; so the line of the Bourbons may 
end with him. When the last one passes away, who can 
tell but what the long hidden secret may be revealed by 
someone to more certainty, or ever remain a mystery. 

It is a pleasure to record that, as time passes, the work 
of Eleazer Williams for the Indians is more and more 
appreciated. Says an Indian writer of note some few 
years ago, with eloquent scorn when some disparaging 
remark had been made of Williams : 

"He was no supplanter, but a true minister of God, 
lawfully called and sent. He grounded our tribe in the 
principles of the Christian faith, and we owe much, under 
God, to Mr. Williams as the first missionary who really 
taught us as a people the doctrines of Christ and His 
Church, and though Air. Williams is now dead, the influ- 
ence of his teachings still pervades the First Christian 
Party ; his works do live in our hearts." 

"The Second Christian Party were led some time after 
they were converted by Mr. Williams, to embrace the 
Methodist faith. The First Christian Party still held the 
faith once delivered to the saints, as taught by the Protes- 
tant Episcopal Church, which they firmly believe to be a 
branch of the Church of Christ, and they are resolved to 
hold this faith till the last gasp unless God Himself shall 
hereafter reveal a better. 

"As to the Rev. Mr. Williams, we say that he deserves 
great praise and honor for his zeal in our behalf. He 
translated into our language books of Scripture and piety; 



THE LOST PRINCE. 215 

preached to us the unsearchable riches of Christ ; and as- 
sisted to secure our present home by his influence with 
Bishop Hobart and others. And we take this opportu- 
nity to express our heartfelt gratitude to that devoted ser- 
vant of God, for we believe he was a true Christian man 
and zealous minister of Jesus Christ, and he has done 
very much more than we can now relate for the lasting 
benefit of the whole Oneida tribe." 



216 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XVII. 
Pioneer Missionaries. 

In 1830 Rev. Mr. Williams was succeeded by the Rev. 
Richard F. Cadle, a very earnest missionary. Unfortun- 
ately there is little recorded of his work during the five 
or six years of his residence among the Oneidas. Miss 
Cooper, in her papers on "Missions to the Oneidas" tells 
us: 

"The Rev. Mr. Williams's place at Duck Creek was 
supplied by a very worthy clergyman, the Rev. Richard F. 
Cadle, who labored faithfully on the same ground from 
1830 to 1836." 

In 1829 the Oneida Mission had been transferred from 
the Foreign to the Domestic Board of Missions, where it 
more naturally belonged. When Mr. Cadle entered on 
his duties, there had been for some time but few con- 
firmations, as there was no Bishop in that region. Bishop 
Hobart of New York, and Bishop Onderdonk of Philadel- 
phia, had, as we know, very kindly, though at long in- 
tervals, visited them ; so it had required great Christian 
patience and courage on Mr. Williams's part to keep the 
little band of Church members together. Says Miss 
Cooper: "During Mr. Cadle's ministry some of the men 
of Green Bay tried from selfish motives to throw obsta- 
cles in the way of religious instruction of the people. 
They believed they could control the tribe more entirely 
and purchase their lands, if there was no Missionary, on 
the grounds." 




The Rev. Richard Fish Cadle, Missionary l 



S30-1S36 



PIONEER MISSIONARIES. 217 

We find that before coming to Duck Creek, Mr. Cadle 
had established a boarding-school at Green Bay in connec- 
tion with the Domestic Church Mission Society. His sis- 
ter, Miss Sarah Cadle, cared for his home and assisted 
him as superintendent of the female department of the 
school. For awhile, a few Oneida lads from Duck Creek 
attended the school. After leaving the Mission at Duck 
Creek, Mr. Cadle became Chaplain of Fort Winnepeg and 
Crawford. In 1841 he was Superior of Nashotah. He 
died at Medford, Delaware, in 1857, aged 60 years. lie 
was of a family of 10 children, not one of whom married. 
All have now passed away. His sister, Mary, the last of 
the family, died in New York, Oct., 1896, aged 88 years. 

After the Rev. Mr. Cadle left Oneida, the Rev. Solo- 
mon Davis obtained the appointment, and went to the 
Reservation with one of the latest parties to leave New 
York. They were mostly of the Second Christian Tart}', 
and it is said were dissuaded by him from going there 
sooner. By this last emigration but few Christian Indians 
were left on the old grounds. The little Church built there 
through much self denial was now left for a time bare and 
empty. A few years later, we are told, it was taken to 
pieces and removed to the village of Vernon, in Oneida 
County, where it was rebuilt for some other denomination. 

The Methodists had previously formed a church society 
among the Indians, and later, in 1841, they erected a 
church building for their mutual use. At the present 
day, the few Indians found at Oneida Castle are mostly 
Methodists, and attend to agricultural pursuits. The 
Onondaga Indians living not far from them are well 
looked after by the Rev. Mr. Hayward, a clergyman of 
our Church. 

"A year or two previous to the removal of the last band 



218 THE ON EI DAS. 

of the Oneidas to Wisconsin," says Miss Cooper, "an 
agreement, or treaty, was made by which each settler 
should receive a hundred acres of land. The land was 
held in common, each individual, or family, taking up as 
much of his hundred acres as he could cultivate, while 
their improved houses were scattered at irregular dis- 
tances apart, the entire length of the Reservation, for 12 
miles on either side of Duck Creek. 

"The Indians soon built for themselves strong, wide 
bridges over this stream. These bridges were mostly 
solidly constructed. The little clearings were in sight of 
each other, but there was at that time no regular village 
or hamlet, but near the center of the Reservation stood a 
small school-house and on the opposite side of the road 
was the little chapel of squared logs." Hobart Church, 
as the Indians had named their first church in the wilder- 
ness, had become entirely too small for the congregation 
that gathered there every Sunday, so it was decided to 
build a frame church on or near the same site. The 
people had recently sold another portion of their New 
York lands to the Government. In solemn Council it 
was then resolved to devote $7,000 of the money accru- 
ing from this sale, to the building of a new church. A 
little cottage a story and a half high was also built for 
a parsonage not far from the Church. Could any so- 
called civilized people have shown a more liberal and 
Christian spirit? 

The Rev. F. W. Merrill gives us the following inter- 
esting account of the laying of the corner-stone and the 
consecration of the new church. He says: "In August, 
1838, Bishop Kemper paid his first visit to Oneida, the 
occasion being the Laying of the Corner-Stone of a new 
Church soon to be built. This was the first ceremony of 



PIONEER MISSIONARIES. 219 

the kind that the Indians had ever seen, and no small in- 
terest was manifested by them. A large number of chiefs 
and warriors went on horseback, and met the Bishop 
about 5 miles from the Mission. When they met, the In- 
dians were told by Chief Daniel Bread that 'they were 
now in the presence of their spiritual father, who had no 
doubt been sent by the Good Spirit to see his red children, 
the Oneidas, and do them good.' 

"The Indians, at this presentation, uncovered their 
heads and bowed most respectfully. They then opened 
ranks, and the Bishop and Clergy passed through and 
were escorted to the Church. The Services began by 
chanting the Te Deum in the Indian language. At the 
close of the Service the congregation formed in proces- 
sion, and with the Bishop and Clergy went to the site of 
the new Church, which was on an elevation overlooking 
the settlement. 

"The Services at this place were solemn and impressive. 
The deposits were placed in a tin box under the stone, by 
the chief orator of the tribe. A memorandum was placed 
with other documents, as follows : 'This Corner-Stone 
was laid on the seventh day of August, A. D., 1836, by 
the Rt. Rev. Father in God, Jackson Kemper, Bishop of 
Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana, the first Missionary 
Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United 
States.' Four of the chiefs then took hold of the stone at 
each corner, and placed it in position. The Gloria in 
Excelsis was sung, and after an address by the Rev. 
Richard Cadle, the Service closed with the Bishop's Bene- 
diction." 

In the following year Bishop Kemper again visited 
Oneida for the purpose of consecrating the first Episcopal 
Church in the Territory of Wisconsin. This consecra- 



220 THE ONBIDAS. 

tion took place on September 2, 1839. The service was 
indeed most interesting. The Bishop, accompanied by 
the Missionary, Rev. Solomon Davis, was received at the 
door of the church by the chiefs of the nation. After 
being seated within the chancel, the instrument of dona- 
tion was presented to him by four of the oldest chiefs in 
the tribe, each taking hold of it by the corner, and in this 
manner placing it in the hands of their chief spiritual 
Father. After being read by the Missionary, it was re- 
turned to the Bishop and placed by him upon the Altar. 

The Bishop then performed the usual consecration ser- 
vice, certain portions of which were interpreted to the In- 
dians. At the close of the service the chiefs and head 
men of the nation came in front of the chancel, each 
placing his hands, as he came up, upon the shoulder of 
the other, and in this way forming a half circle in the 
presence of the Bishop. The Missionary stood in the 
center, and the Chief nearest to him on each side placed 
a hand upon his shoulder, while he read in their behalf 
the following address : 

"To the Right Reverend Father in God, Jackson Kem- 
per, D. D. : 

"Right Reverend Father: The chiefs of the Oneidas 
cannot suffer you to depart from their nation without ex- 
pressing their sincere thanks for your kindness in visiting 
them at this time. The journey of our father has been 
long. His children are thankful that the Great Spirit has 
brought him through it in safety. His presence has made 
our hearts glad. We will long remember the solemn ser- 
vices of this day. Our house is now 'holy place.' It is 
duly prepared. It is made sacred to the worship of the 
Great and Eternal Spirit. 

"Right Reverend Father : It is a matter of joy to us 










'■". 



Wm 



PIONEER MISSIONARIES. 221 

that the good work is done. But your children will not 
stop here. It shall be our endeavor to go on and do as 
you have told us to do. Here, from time to time, we will 
come. We will bring our families with us. We will try 
to worship the God of Christians with sincere hearts. By 
hearing the good words of the Gospel we may learn how 
to live well, and how thus we may finally be prepared to 
die well — our days may end in peace. 

"Right Reverend Father : Your children now feel that 
they are brought very near to you. The Great Council of 
the Church has granted our heart's desire. It was our 
choice that as God's chief minister, you should preside 
over us. Our wishes are gratified. The decision of the 
Great Council was good news to our ears. Could we sit 
near their council-fire when it is lighted up again, we 
would thank them with one heart and one voice for what 
they have done. 

"Right Reverend Father: You will be there. Thank 
them for your children. 

"Right Reverend Father : We are now about to do what 
we could not do when last you visited us. A chain of 
friendship is to be formed, which we trust will never be 
broken. We now extend to you the hand of the nation. 
We acknowledge you, and will hereafter hold on to you 
as our lawful Bishop. Our eyes will turn to you, and to 
you alone, for counsel and advice in all our spiritual af- 
fairs. May the chain now thrown around us, never be- 
come dim. May it bind us together in peace and friend- 
ship, as long as life shall last. Father, your children will 
take care to keep it bright. This is all they have to say." 

The Bishop then took the Missionary by the hand (the 
chiefs still keeping their position), and replied as follows: 

"My children : I deeply feel the solemnities and respon- 



222 THE ONEIDAS. 

sibilities of this moment. It has afforded me much pleas- 
ure to visit you and to consecrate your neat and hand- 
some Church to the worship of Almighty God. 

"My children : I have beheld with pleasure your dwell- 
ings, barns, and farms, and am convinced that if you per- 
severe in your honest, temperate and industrious habits, 
your earthly comforts, under the blessing of our Heavenly 
Father, will constantly increase. 

"My children : I cordially unite myself to you as your 
Father in the Lord, and fervently pray that the blessing 
of the Great Spirit may ever rest upon this nation. I will 
always endeavor to keep bright the chain of friendship 
now formed. Here may we often worship God together 
as brothers in sincerity and truth, and hereafter, where 
there will be no more sin, or pain or death, may we unite 
in praises and thanksgiving which will never end. May 
God bless you, my children. Farewell." 

The congregation gathered for worship in the new 
church, with great regularity. The progress of Christian 
civilization was slow, but encouraging. There were now 
left but few avowed heathens among them. One old 
man, who had continued obdurate and for a long time 
kept aloof from the church, was considered to be in a 
semi-pagan condition. But at length there was a change. 
His heart opened to religious instruction, the scales fell 
from his eyes. He became a believing and penitent 
Christian. The Missionary proposed to baptize him, 
when he replied : "My father, that is not necessary. I have 
been baptized already. It was when I was a little child by 
a Missionary of your Church from beyond the salt water 
when the country was a Colony of the King of England." 

He named two very old women, still living, who had 
been present at his baptism. They were called as wit- 



PIONEER MISSIONARIES. 223 

nesses, and testified to the truth of the assertion. In this 
instance, as in many others, the baptismal prayers offered 
over the infant, were now answered to the peace and joy 
of an aged Indian near the close of a no doubt dark and 
stormy life. 

Very different was the scene that took place in a cot- 
tage a few years earlier. The life of an aged Christian 
woman, from a distance was drawing to a close. One 
who came to administer the Holy Communion to her, thus 
describes the service at the cottage. 

"Our visit was to the home of old Margaret Skenan- 
doah, the daughter of the Oneida Chief Skenandoah, who 
was known as the friend of Washington. She lives by 
herself in a little cottage, attended by some of her children 
and grandchildren, who provide for her necessities. 
About thirty of her neighbors had gathered to receive 
with her the Blessed Sacrament. 

"The little congregation was seated, some on chairs, 
or chests ranged about the side of the room, and others 
upon a bed in the corner. A table stood in the center of 
the room covered with a white cloth, and had upon it the 
sacred vessels. Old Margaret, with her hair of silvery 
beauty, sat in a chair, wrapped in a snow-white blanket. 
The rest of her costume consisted of the general apparel 
worn by the Oneida women, with leggings and beaded 
moccasins. On either side of her, in picturesque sol- 
emnity, were seated a group of women enveloped in white 
blankets. The floor was scoured to utmost cleanness, and 
a faggot fire in the open fireplace added warmth to the 
chilly day. 

"The Service began with a hymn sung in the Indian 
language ; a prayer was offered in Oneida ; a short address 
followed which was interpreted. The Communion Ser- 



224 THE ONEIDAS. 

vice was in English, and after another hymn, the com- 
municants present knelt around the little Altar and re- 
ceived with great reverence the Sacrament. After which 
the concluding prayers were said, the Gloria in Excelsis 
sung, and the Benediction pronounced. The meek and 
quiet spirit which pervaded this Oneida cottage service 
was a blessed evidence of its sincere Christian devotion." 

"Dec. 9, 1837: While at Green Bay yesterday," writes 
Mr. Davis, "with a view of forwarding my missionary 
report by the Chicago mail, I received the unwelcome in- 
telligence of the destruction of my dwelling house by 
fire. On my return to the Mission I find that not only 
the house but nearly all it contained is reduced to ashes. 
My library, of about 500 volumes is entirely destroyed, as 
is even our wearing apparel, etc. The property (though 
of little value) which we regard as belonging to your com- 
mittee, is safe, viz., the Missionary, his wife and daugh- 
ter, and. by the blessing of God, are in good health and 
spirits." 

A few years later the Rev. Mr. Davis, seized with ill- 
ness at Oneida, was taken to Green Bay for medical treat- 
ment, where he died. 

In 1847 the Rev. Franklin Haff succeeded Solomon 
Davis as Missionary to the Oneidas, and was in charge 
of the Mission until 1852, when he received a call to In- 
diana. Mr. Haff was indeed a pioneer missionary. As 
student at Nashotah in its earliest days he endured many 
hardships, and later as Deacon, with others of his faithful, 
self-denying companions, spread the Gospel in the then 
almost wilderness that surrounded them. On Feb. 28, 
1847, with a class of 6, the Rev. Mr. Haff was ordained 
Priest, and the following month received an appointment 
to Oneida and held his first service as resident missionary 
amonsr the Indians. 




The Rev. P. R. Haff, Missionary 1S47-1S52 



PIONEER MISSIONARIES. 225 

The Church at Oneida was in a disturbed state, and 
the people were less in harmony than at any time before. 
But amid many trials among the then divided and some- 
what contentious people, Air. Haff is said to have done 
much good. During his ministry of 5, or nearly 6, years 
on the Reservation, there was a great increase to the 
Church from among the First Christian Party. Many 
were baptized and confirmed, and remained consistent 
Christians. By his earnest, gentle ways he endeared him- 
self to the Indians and was beloved and revered by all 
who knew him. 

Of the Rev. Mr. Half's subsequent history we cannot 
here give a full account. While at Oneida he had 
officiated at the first service of the Church ever held in 
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Later, he received a call there, and 
remained there in active service for many years up to the 
time of his death, which occurred in 1906, at the ad- 
vanced age of 84 years. Throughout his long ministry 
of over 60 years, he is said to have ever practiced what 
he preached and to have won lasting friends. As they 
gathered from all ranks in life to pay a last tribute to his 
silent form, there was seen in death the faint, sweet smile 
that had illumined his face up to the very end of life. As 
one remarked : "Only a good and holy man could show 
such a beautiful face in death." 

W T hen called to receive his reward, not the least of the 
Rev. Franklin Haff's works for the Master, so long and 
so faithfully rendered, will be found the few years spent 
among the Oneidas. 



226 THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XVIIII. 
Bishop Kemper and Nashotah. 

In the year 1836, only a few months before the final 
migration of the last large party of the Oneidas to Wis- 
consin, the Rev. Jackson Kemper was consecrated the 
first Missionary Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in this country. Says Miss S. Fenimore Cooper: 
"'His diocese was a vast region. Missouri, Indiana, Wis- 
consin, Minnesota and Iowa were included within its 
limits. The Bishop threw himself into his duties with 
great devotion of heart and life. During the first 1 1 
years he had no home. He had not even a study. His 
books were not unpacked. He travelled hundreds of 
miles on horseback and hundreds of miles on foot over 
the rudest roads and the wildest paths, swimming many 
a river in his constant journeys. 

"During the thirty-five years of his Episcopate the 
good Bishop never allowed himself but one day in each 
year that he called his own. Christmas he always passed 
with his motherless children. He seemed indefatigable in 
his holy duties ; there was no work too humble, no ham- 
let too remote or too small, for his visitations. And all 
his duties were performed so lovingly, he was so kind, so 
fatherly in his manners." 

Very early in his Episcopate he turned his eyes towards 
the Oneidas. At his first visitation, in 1838, to lay their 
corner-stone and hold confirmation, 54 were confirmed. 




The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, D.D., First Bishop of Wisconsin 



BISHOP KEMPER AND N AS HOT AH. 227 

He held these visitations among the red people almost 
yearly, and entirely won their hearts by his sympathy and 
fatherly interest in them. The Oneidas gave him the 
name of Ha-re-ro-wa-gon, "He who has the power over 
all words." At his second visitation to Oneida, their 
new frame church was consecrated. He is said to have 
been in constant communication with their Missionary, 
and on many occasions his kind hand was stretched out 
to help them. Though relatively a poor man, the Bishop 
is said to have been by far the largest giver in his diocese, 
giving more to missions than half the parishes in it. 
This great generosity in giving was brought about by 
rigid economy, denial of self-indulgence, and freedom 
from debt. He had a great horror of debt. 

For the Oneidas Bishop Kemper seems to have had a 
tender sympathy. He felt strongly the obligation of the 
Church and the Nation to render a just and faithful 
Christian service to those whose places on earth we have 
taken. And this feeling was increased as he looked upon 
them as Christian brothers, although still in need of fos- 
tering care. One of his latest visitations to the Indians is 
thus described : 

"As he sat in the chancel of their little Church, his 
eyes would wander with fatherly sympathy over those 
dusky faces and wild figures, all of whom were person- 
ally known by name and features, while he himself un- 
consciously presented a beautiful picture of Apostolic dig- 
nity, his reverend, kindly face, beaming with holy feeling, 
his white hair making a halo about his venerable head." 

After the resignation of the Rev. Air. Haff, in 1852, 
the Bishop was greatly troubled to find a clergyman will- 
ing to take charge of Oneida. Matters had reached a 
crisis; there had been dissension among themselves, as we 



228 THE ONEIDAS. 

already know, and things were growing darker at every 
week's close. This Mission seemed under a cloud. 
Some had become lukewarm. Intemperance and immor- 
ality were on the increase, as never before. The evil- 
minded among the white traders and speculators were 
■doing all they could to encourage it with, no doubt, the 
hope that evil ways would be the means of driving the 
Indians still further into the wilderness. 

Good Bishop Kemper was sorely grieved. He looked 
about the length and breadth of his vast diocese, but no 
clergyman was unemployed. After a vacancy of several 
months, the Bishop published an appeal in "The Church 
Journal," in the summer of 1853. Happily an answer 
was received, and from his own diocese. It was a son of 
Nashotah, the Rev. Edward A. Goodnough, who in this 
extremity offered himself for service among the 
Oneidas. The Rev. Mr. Haff had also been a Nashotah 
graduate. 

We would here linger and give some account of Nas- 
hotah and its pioneer students. It is in part taken from 
"Missions to the Oneidas." The writer says: "In 1841 
the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, the Rev. William Adams, 
and the Rev. John Henry Hobart, a son of the Bishop, all 
students from the Theological Seminary of New York, 
and all recently ordained deacons, went to the wild re- 
gion on the shores of Lake Michigan for the purpose of 
founding an associate Mission, to preach the Gospel in 
what was then a forest wilderness. They entered on the 
work under the auspices of the Board of Domestic Mis- 
sions. Their plan included a common home, itinerant 
preaching and teaching, with a daily life of prayer, study, 
and manual labor. 

"Some twenty miles westward from the pretty hamlet 



BISHOP KEMPER AND N AS HOT AH. 229 

of Milwaukee there lay two lonely little lakes of limpid 
water in the heart of the wilderness, the twin lakes of 
Nashotah. A rude shanty had been loosely put together 
by some frontiersman. The tract of land was for sale. 
The young - missionaries were poor, as most missionaries 
are, but Mr. Aspinwall and Mr. Minturn of New York, 
and others, purchased 365 acres surrounding the twin 
lakes, in behalf of the Mission. A solemn consecration 
of the ground became the first step of the young deacons. 
They moved onward, a staff in each hand, 'faith and 
prayer.' 

"Many were their hardships. A small house, 16x18 
feet square, was built and painted blue. Plain was the 
fare, and strange were the cooks. Salt pork, potatoes, 
and rutabagas were mostly the fare month in and month 
out. The young deacons cooked their food, washed their 
own clothes, and mended them, too, after a fashion. 
They slept on the floor. During the first month's of the 
Mission 10 different parishes were founded, all still exist- 
ing. The young men often walked through the forests, 
40 miles along rough cart-tracks, or Indian trails, to 
preach at some small cluster of log houses, now among 
English immigrants, now among Welsh, or it might be 
Swedes, or Norwegians, and frequently among the rude 
frontiersmen of our own people. Everywhere they were 
kindly received. Everywhere some impression for good 
would appear to have been made." 

At one time a confirmation was held at the English col- 
ony of St. Albans. The service took place in a barn, 
the devout Missionary, Bishop Kemper, officiating. So 
great was the crowd that a number of young men climbed 
up into the hay-loft above. Among these was one so 
deeply impressed by the service that the following week 



230 THE ONBIDAS. 

he knocked at the door of the "Blue House," and ex- 
pressed his wish to enter the Mission as a student of 
divinity. In later years he became the respected Rector 
of St. John's Church, Milwaukee, where he officiated for 
more than a quarter of a century. 

Many of these services in the forest were followed by 
the appearance of students at the "Blue House." It soon 
became necessary to enlarge the buildings. A dining- 
room 1 2x1 8 feet was added to the kitchen. In addition 
a 14 foot square building was divided between a store- 
room and a tailoring-room, while the students slept in the 
half story above. The library, 14x18 feet contained 2 reci- 
tation-rooms, while its shelves held nearly all the theologi- 
cal tomes to be found in that region 50 or 60 years ago. 
Another addition called "Lazarus Row," from its rough, 
poverty-stricken appearance, was 12 feet wide and 50 
feet long. It was divided into 8 rooms, each opening into 
a neat little yard fenced in for flowers and shrubbery, 
with a wicket-gate to the open grounds beyond. 

The chapel, 18x24 feet, was afterwards doubled in 
length, and still later provided with a chancel. The 
young deacons and students rose at 5. There was a 
short religious service at a quarter to six. Then came 
breakfast. At 9 the bell rang from the belfry of an 
old oak-tree, for the daily Morning Prayer. Then came 
work and study. In winter the young men worked two 
hours in the morning, and the same in the afternoon, 
studying in the interval. In summer they worked eight 
hours and studied four. At noon they dined. At 6 there 
was Evening Prayer. At 9 there was also a short ser- 
vice. 

One day after the bell had been hung in the old oak- 
tree, the sound, as it rang for Morning Prayer, was borne 



BISHOP KEMPER AND NASHOTAH. 231 

on the breeze to a distant part of the forest where a 
young lad was cutting wood for his father, who lived not 
far away. The sound was unusual — it was startling. 
Few indeed were the bells then heard in Wisconsin. The 
lad paused and listened. Again at noon, and again in the 
evening, he heard the same unusual sound from the same 
direction. This continued for some days. At length the 
youth resolved to look into this new mystery of the forest. 
He set out, and by taking the direction of the sound, 
gradually drew nearer and nearer, until he found it came 
from the banks of the Nashotah Lakes. 

Taking courage, he went boldly on until he reached the 
"Blue House," and saw the bell enshrined in the old oak- 
tree. Not long afterwards this lad, Edward A. Good- 
nough. became a student of divinity at the Mission. 
Some ten years later he answered Bishop Kemper's ap- 
peal for a Missionary to the Oneidas, and entered on his 
duties at a moment of sore trial to the tribe. For thirty- 
six years he continued to serve them with great fidelity. 

A few years earlier the young deacons in charge of 
the associate mission were anxious to be ordained to the 
Priesthood. As soon as the youngest one had reached 
the canonical age they applied to Bishop Kemper for 
examination and ordination. There were then but two 
consecrated Church buildings in Wisconsin, one at Green 
Bay, the other at Oneida. Bishop Kemper appointed the 
Indian Church at Oneida for the ordination. The 
journey from Nashotah was made in a lumber-wagon. 
It was 150 miles to Oneida, and several days were passed 
on the road. It ran first through a belt of timber 20 
miles broad, then over high, rolling prairies to Fond-du- 
Lac, at the foot of Lake Winnebago ; and again through 
the heaviest forest of the whole region, along the entire 



232 THE ONEIDAS. 

eastern shore of the lake until they reached the Neenah 
River at Green Bay. Here crossing the river, they drove 
to Oneida. 

The Rev. Solomon Davis was then Missionary in 
charge of Oneida. Sixty Oneidas rode out as usual on 
horseback to greet their Bishop and escort him to the 
Mission House. On Sunday the whole Reservation were 
in motion at the call of their church bell. Men, women, 
and children came flocking from all directions to Hobart 
Church. Many of the people were in wild garb, wrapped 
in blankets, the infants hanging in their bark cradles from 
their mothers' backs. Soon the solemn service began, 
partly from the Mohawk Prayer Book and partly in 
English. The Oneidas sang very sweetly the familiar 
chants in their liquid dialect. There were on this occa- 
sion 1 60 Indian communicants besides others gathered 
in the little church to witness the Laying on of Hands 
on the faithful young deacons. 

As a memorial of their ordination the Indians gave 
them the old bell "Michael" which for many years hung 
in the oaken belfry at Nashotah. On their return to 
Nashotah the Rev. Mr. Adams and the Rev. Mr. Breck 
took with them 3 Oneida lads, one, Daniel Nimham the 
first boy born on the Reservation, and still living at 
Oneida, and now affectionately known to all as "Uncle 
Daniel," another, Cornelius Hill, now Chief and Priest 
among his own people. 

The chapel at Nashotah had been for some time in a 
ruinous condition ; but absolute poverty prevented the 
building of a more appropriate place of worship. Books 
were needed, food and clothing were needed, and when 
these more pressing wants were supplied there was 
nothing left in the treasury. The little chapel was 



BISHOP KEMP BR AND N AS HOT AH. 233 

patched up as well as possible, here a plank or two, there 
a few shingles ; but gradually the weak spots enlarged 
so much that a winter thaw or a summer shower would 
send the water dripping through the old roof, upon the 
congregation praying beneath it. But there was no 
break in the service on account of this state of things. 
Morning, noon, and evening, every day in the year, the 
chapel was filled with devout worshippers. Among 
them were three Indian lads from Oneida. 

We would here relate a rather amusing incident as 
occurring in the old leaking chapel. It will serve to 
show the reverent staunchness of the men of those 
pioneer days when nothing deterred them in their wor- 
ship of their Heavenly Father. 

"In the year 1857 Bishop Kemper held an ordination 
in the chapel, under circumstances somewhat trying. A 
severe storm of wind and rain was raging without. The 
congregation collected ; the Bishop and clergy took their 
places in the chancel. The candidates for ordination 
were at the chancel rail ; the solemn service began. Drip, 
drip, the water began to fall through the old roof. This 
was nothing new to some of them. But presently still 
heavier clouds swept over the building, and the rain be- 
gan literally to pour down through the leaks. Still 
the solemn service went on. The garments of the Bishop 
and clergy were wet, little pools formed on the floor. 
Water was dripping over the whole body of the chapel; 
but in the chancel it was falling more freely. 

"The service went on unbroken ; prayer and praise, 
chant and hymn, arose as though the storm was un- 
heeded in the solemn purpose of the hour. At length 
umbrellas were raised in the body of the chapel, and 
before the close of the service, were held also over the 



234 THE ONBIDAS. 

heads of the Bishop and officiating clergy, whose gar- 
ments had become heavy with water falling upon them 
through the roof." 

The young clergy and divinity students were zealously 
employed in rendering faithful missionary services 
within a wide circuit. Scarce a log cabin within many 
miles which they did not visit on some pious errand. 
They carried the Holy Bible and Prayer Book into many 
a pioneer home, where these eventually became the bread 
of life to parents and children. They were too poor for 
wagons and horses, and walked regularly to different sta- 
tions 12 miles distant. Occasionally these journeys on 
foot extended to a distance of 60 miles. 

At that date a forest 20 miles in depth and 200 in 
length covered the western shore of Lake Michigan. On 
one occasion the services of one of the missionaries were 
needed by an individual 120 miles from Nashotah. The 
Rev. J. Lloyd Breck set out, knapsack at his back, and 
the first day walked 40 miles through the forest and over 
wild prairies, the second day he also walked 40 miles. 
He had hoped to complete the remaining 40 on the third 
day, Saturday, but tangled tracks amid the Winnebago 
forests led him astray. Night surprised him. He heard 
the cry of the wild beasts roaming through the wilder- 
ness. Happily he came to the door of a rude cabin where 
an Indian family received him kindly. Sunday at 9 
o'clock he arrived at his destination and began the day 
with Morning Service as well as visiting the one sick unto 
death. 

Early in the history of Nashotah two Indian Missions 
were intrusted to its graduates. Of these the most im- 
portant was Oneida, to which we must now return. 




The Rev. Edward A. Goodnough, for thirty-five years Missionary 
to the Oneidas 



REV. EDWARD A. GOODNOUGH. 



-00 



Chapter XIX. 
The Rev. Edward A. Goodnough. 

On the second Sunday in October, 1853, the Rev. Ed- 
ward A. Goodnough, recently ordained by Bishop Kem- 
per, having resigned the parish at Portage for the pur- 
pose, entered on his arduous duties at Oneida. The 
Mission had been vacant more than a year. The people 
had lost ground sadly. Says Miss Cooper: "A half-wild 
tribe are in the mental condition of children ; they may 
have made promising beginning, even decided progress 
in the right direction, but if abandoned by their guides 
they must inevitably fall back.*' 

When the brave young Minister came among the 
Oneidas everything was looking very dreary. He was a 
stranger among a wild race whose language he could 
neither speak nor understand. The majority of the peo- 
ple were very shy and suspicious. A few of the better 
men and women, however, received him kindly. He was 
living alone in the Mission House ; they brought him 
bread, game, and fish ; washed his clothes and provided 
him with firewood. But there were others who hoped 
to drive him away, as they had already driven two Mis- 
sionaries off the field. At night they would come about 
the house, making hideous cries and savage yells. The 
Saturday nights were fearfully disorderly. They would 
go to Green Bay to trade, and come back dreadfully in- 
toxicated, shouting, fighting, and yelling like so many 
fiends. 



236 THE ONBIDAS. 

There were at that time white men at Green Bay 
whose object it was to debase the Indians by all the 
means in their power, in order to render them odious 
to the whites, and thus bring about their expulsion from 
the Reservation. They coveted the fertile lands and fine 
timber of the Oneidas, and to obtain possession of these 
were eager to drive the red man farther into the wilder- 
ness. 

It was surprising how little English was spoken by the 
people after two centuries or more of intercourse with 
an English-speaking race. There were few men who 
spoke the language with any ease, and among the women, 
with one or two exceptions, there were none who could 
say more than a word or two. It was at first difficult 
to find an interpreter, but at last Mr. Goodnough secured 
an earnest, good young man to fill the part of interpreter 
at the Church services. 

The Church building was in a very bad condition, need- 
ing many repairs, while the white paint had worn off or 
been almost entirely washed off by the rain. The con- 
gregation was at first very small. At the first celebra- 
tion of Holy Communion there were only 30 present. A 
few years earlier there had been 150 communicants. 
At the first confirmation there were only 5 to receive the 
rite. The school-house was an old tumbled-down build- 
ing with a door at each end, and for chimney an old 
stove-pipe running up through the roof. There were 
often heavy drifts of snow on the floor during the win- 
ter months. The average attendance was found to be 
only 15 or 20. The Mission House about 300 yards 
from the Church was small, a story and a half high. 
There were out-houses about it, and a glebe of 80 acres. 
Everything was out of order. 



REV. EDWARD A. GOODNOUGH. 237 

To this desolate Mission House, in April 1854, came 
a brave young girl not yet 17 years old, the newly mar- 
ried wife of the Missionary, to whom she had been be- 
trothed for some time previous. "Blessed was the day," 
says one, "when Ellen Saxton Goodnough came among 
the Oneidas with her brave spirit, her warm, generous 
heart, her cheerful, vigorous, healthy nature, and her 
good' judgment." From the day she first crossed the 
threshold of the Mission House it is said she scarcely left 
the Reservation, even for a few hours during her busy 
Christian life of more than 16 years. A true helpmeet 
to her husband she gave heart and strength to the work 
among the red men. 

The cheerful, untiring zeal, the affectionate sympathy, 
the wise, untiring guidance with which Ellen Goodnough 
moved about, day by day, during all those years among 
the Oneidas, could scarcely be surpassed. "She gave her 
life," said one who knew her intimately, "through self- 
denial, and many hardships, and some reproach, to the 
task of elevating the Oneidas, and they loved her warmly 
in return. Her influence became almost unbounded, and 
her words were law to a great many of the women and 

girls." 

When the young missionaries entered hand in hand 
upon their duties in 1853-4 the aspect of things was 
somewhat wild, and not a little discouraging. But at the 
end of a few months, matters improved very perceptibly, 
and many people learned once more to look upon their 
Minister as their best friend. They resumed former 
habits. Large numbers came to church and gathered at 
the Mission House. The parsonage was made more 
comfortable. The Church was improved by repainting 
and the repairs most needed were attended to. But there 



238 THE ONEIDAS,. 

was neither chancel nor vestry-room ; the roof was leaky, 
and the floor was paved. 

There was a good bell, the gift of a chief, and the peo- 
ple at a distance attended to the call and came more regu- 
larly. The sun poured upon the dusky flock through 
unshaded and unstained windows, the men sitting to- 
gether on one side, the women on the other side. The 
men were roughly clothed, generally in coarse blue cloth 
very carelessly put together. The women came in with 
their invariably noiseless, gliding step, in very peculiar 
garb ; they were shrouded in blankets, their heads closely 
covered with various wrappings. Occasionally hand- 
some bead-work, or porcupine-work appeared as trim- 
ming on their cloth leggings and moccasins. Mothers 
brought their babies in bark cradles hanging at their 
backs, suspended by the regular burden strap passing 
around the forehead. 

The congregation was attentive and some of the older 
members were very devout, making all the responses with 
much feeling and reverence. There was an organ of 
good tone well played by the regular organist, one of 
the chiefs. The singing was always very sweet. Never 
indeed were the services carried on without the sweet 
plaintive voices of the women being heard in the chants 
and hymns in their own language. Not a few men also 
had good voices. The people seem to have a natural 
taste for music. The sermon, though, was translated by 
the regular interpreter. 

The library of Oneida books at that time, if not large, 
was of very great value to them. There was a trans- 
lation of the New Testament, complete with the excep- 
tion of the Second Corinthians ; there were also portions 
of the Old Testament in Oneida ; a Hymn Book, compiled 



REi: EDWARD A. GOODNOUGH. 239 

chiefly from our own ; and 3 editions of the Prayer Book, 
one by Eleazer Williams. The Rev. John Henry Hobart, 
son of the revered Bishop Hobart, who had been ordained 
in the little church at Oneida, and who inherited his 
father's interest in the people, gave them an improved 
translation of the Prayer Book, published at his own 
expense. The translation was prepared for him by the 
skilful interpreter. The people valued this translation 
greatly, and often read it in their homes with much 
pleasure. 

The school was taught by the Missionary, who con- 
sidered this task one of his most important duties. After 
his marriage his young wife assisted with much zeal in 
the good work, and during those first months laid the 
foundation of her deep affectionate interest in the chil- 
dren. Says Miss Cooper: "The little dark-eyed, red- 
skinned creatures were wild and shy as the chipmunks 
and fawns of the forests. The girls were gentle, low- 
voiced and timid. They generally came with their heads 
closely covered with a wrap of some kind. Boys and 
girls kept carefully apart, it was impossible to coax them 
to recite in the same classes. But they soon became at- 
tached to the bright-faced, kindly, pleasant-mannered 
teacher, and ere long she acquired a very great influence 
over them, and over their mothers also." Later we hear 
of the shabby old school-house being replaced by a good 
building, one that also served the Indians as Council 
Hall for their especial pow-wows. 

Mrs. Goodnough, though so young, not yet IJ when 
she married, so completely identified herself with her 
young husband in the work going on for the Mission, 
that it seems natural to write of them as colaborers. And 
surely there was never a more brave, sweet, winning 



2 4 o THE ONEIDAS. 

assistant in any parish. The first year of the Rev. Mr. 
Goodnough's services brought with them an event to 
which the people attached no little importance. It was 
giving their friend the Minister an Indian name. And it 
is by no means considered an empty compliment. Every 
Oneida has a name in his own language. Some of them 
are beautiful, others most peculiar. They never fail to 
give Indian names to their white friends, names chosen 
from some personal trait, or some quality characteristic 
of the individual. They are very close, shrewd observers. 
Says one : 

"When the time came for giving the name to the Mis- 
sionary, a feast was first prepared. This is a compliment 
conferred only on an individual whom they wish espe- 
cially to honor. A regular feast having been duly pre- 
pared, and the people assembled, the Chief, Sa-no-sio, 
arose and made a speech. In the course of the speech 
the Oneida name of the Missionary, which had already 
been settled upon among the men, was publicly an- 
nounced. It was "Ka-yen-retta," "Bright blue sky." 
This was received with applause followed by a very warm 
handshaking. Speech-making, feasting, and hand-shak- 
ing never fail to give satisfaction to the Oneidas. 

The Minister having been named, the same compli- 
ment was paid later to his wife. At the Fourth of July 
feast her Oneida name was announced as "Ky-yon-to- 
sa," "She is planting." The Missionary, however, was 
generally spoken of as "my father," "our father." Their 
own word for Minister is "Ka-tsi-hen-sta-lis." 

Years passed on bringing with them steady growth 
among the Oneidas. "There is nothing brilliant, nothing 
startling to record," says the writer of the "Missions to 
the Oneidas," "but quiet, healthful progress is shown as 



REV. EDWARD A. COODXOUGH. 241 

the blessed result of loving charity and patient persever- 
ance in sound Christian training. There was often hard- 
ness to be endured in that field and peculiar trials to be 
met. But every effort was made with a cheerful. Chris- 
tian spirit. The hearts of both husband and wife were 
deeply interested in their duties among the tribe to whose 
service they had given themselves. 'I love the people,' 
exclaimed the Rev. Mr. Goodnough with great earnest- 
ness, at a time of peculiar trial and great danger to the 
Oneidas. T dearly love to teach these children,' said 
Ellen Goodnough within a few hours of her death." 
And the affection so generously given was warmly re- 
turned by the Oneidas. 

"Among other of the Missionary's trials was the com- 
ing from Canada to the Reservation of some Methodist 
exhorters. They were ignorant, scarce able to read or 
write, and it was doubtful if they belonged to any Metho- 
dist organization. They came as intruders, stirring up 
strife among the flock, and were much given to abuse of 
the Church and to praise of their own superior piety. 
The course of one individual of this class was long un- 
pleasantly remembered. He called himself the Rev. Mr.. 
Sundown, and came especially to convert the people of 
Hobart Church. He stirred up no little trouble ; had a 
small fanatic following; proposed building a meeting- 
house for his adherents, and actually began the work; 
but ere long was compelled to leave the Reservation in 
disgrace from his own misconduct. He could neither 
read nor write, but was very abusive of the Church. He 
probably was not a regular Methodist Minister." 

The present Methodist settlement owes its origin to 
what is called the Orchard party. It occupies the west- 
ern end of the Reservation. In 1846 their regular Mis- 



242 THE ONEIDAS. 

sion built a place of worship and had a small portion of 
the Indian population in attendance. There is now, it is 
said, a kindly feeling existing between the two Missions, 
each doing its own work quietly, without interfering with 
the other. They have used the Oneida Hymn Book and 
other translations of the Church services. 

Very decided changes and improvements were to be 
seen at the end of 10 years of faithful labor at Oneida. 
The school, which had almost dwindled away after Mr. 
Williams left, was once more prosperous, many of the 
children coming from a distance. The church was filled 
to its utmost capacity; baptisms were of frequent occur- 
rence. The Bishop confirmed large classes ; the com- 
municants increased to 146. During Lent the little 
church would be well filled for prayers, the men leaving 
their work for the services, and returning again to their 
labor afterwards. 

The general appearance of the country is said to have 
"borne witness to the improvement. The people became 
more industrious and orderly. Heathen practices and 
superstitions were dying out. The general aspect of the 
Lord's Day was very striking. The farms increased in 
size and in the manner of cultivation. Sawmills, a grist- 
mill, and blacksmith's shop were all worked by the In- 
dians. They also did a good share of carpenter's work. 
The women helped now only in the lighter outdoor work. 
There was one task, however, that wives and mothers 
would not give up ; they always worked in the corn-fields 
with the men, planting, hoeing, and harvesting the maize. 
This they considered their privilege of birthright, a holi- 
day task bequeathed to them by their Konoshioni mothers 
of bygone days. The maize, that beautiful plant and 
sweet grain, had always held a very important place with 



REV. EDWARD A. GOODNOUGH. 243 

the red man, and the Iroquois are said to have 12 differ- 
ent ways of preparing it for food. 

The first invitation to Ellen Goodnough as bride, was 
often recalled by her in later years. And what an effort 
it must have cost her not to give offense we can readily 
imagine. A worthy old woman of the congregation in- 
vited her to supper, and with true hospitality gave the 
Minister's wife the best she had to offer — a kindly greet- 
ing, and succotash made of fresh young corn and beans. 
It was eaten out of an iron kettle placed on the earthen 
floor, with a wooden spoon. No bread was served. 

The untidy way of living in the Oneida cabins greatly 
distressed Mrs. Goodnough. They had no regular hours 
for meals. Their bedsteads were rude bunks ; the beds 
in many houses were left unmade all day. The washing 
was irregularly done ; the ironing often entirely neglected. 
Tins and woodenware — scant in number — were never 
properly scoured. Their bread was cakes of maize, 
usually baked in the ashes. 

Ere long, almost unconsciously, instinctively, as it 
were, Ellen Goodnough took the first steps in a course 
she afterwards pursued steadily until the last day of her 
life. Naturally bright and cheerful, she attracted the 
Oneida women as visitors to the Mission House, giving 
them kindly welcome and often entertaining them with 
a practical lesson in housekeeping, the making of bread, 
the scouring of a tin, the ironing of a garment — so many 
object-lessons to the shy, but closely observant visitors. 
Kindly example and friendly teaching in these first steps 
of civilization gradually produced good results. There 
was no lack of intelligence in her observers ; the women 
were generally quick-witted and their slender fingers be- 
came skilled in any task that interested them. They 



244 THE ONBIDAS. 

could speak little English, but kindly feeling has a lan- 
guage of its own ; a pleasant smile, a friendly gesture, a 
bit of fun helped on the instructions. The Oneidas enjoy 
little jokes very decidedly, in spite of their quiet, shy 
ways. 

After these first practical lessons in useful work, gentle 
guidance and teaching in more important matters fol- 
lowed. To raise the moral and religious tone of the 
women and girls became the great object of Mrs. Good- 
nough. And her loving efforts on their behalf were 
greatly blessed for good. She neglected no opportunity 
of instructing them by precept and example, and her 
influence became almost unbounded. She impressed 
upon them her own strong, noble principles, which influ- 
enced the character of many for life. 

Mr. Goodnough was in the meantime using his utmost 
endeavor to instruct the men and boys in the right way 
of living. Says one who visited the Reservation about 
that time : 

"The farms seem to be well cultivated. The houses, 
though small, are well built. I was pleased to see so 
many little gardens and flower-borders, too. We went 
into some of the houses, where they received us very 
kindly, with smiling faces and pleasant ways. At one 
house a young woman was ironing. The clothes were 
beautifully washed and starched, and the sewing seemed 
very good. I never saw a neater house than that I wa;. 
in ; you might have eaten your dinner from the floor. 
There were books lying about. They offered me cake 
here. I liked the way the women were dressed, with a 
short calico gown over a long skirt. It is peculiar and 
pleasing, and what nice shoes and stockings they wore, 
fitting so neatly on their small feet ! But we met several 



REV. MR. GOODNOUGH. 245 

old women with shawls over their heads this warm day. 
"We saw many men at work in the barnyards and 
fields in their white shirt-sleeves. Several times the 
farmers we passed invited us to take seats in their wagon, 
while all whom we passed greeted us kindly. We saw 
several sowing and reaping-machines in the fields, with 
tall, dark-haired farmers working them. The people 
seem generally more slow in their movements than the 
Yankees. We walked behind two young men who had 
rakes on their shoulders. They walked along at a slow 
pace, talking in Oneida. It seems strange that the peo- 
ple should be so very slow to learn English and cling so 
to their own language. 

"The Indians are very hospitable, and as a rule, not 
mercenary. Since the people have lived in houses away 
from the smoke of the wigwams and have learned to use 
soap, they have become much lighter in complexion, not 
darker than the Mexicans. They are very kind in sick- 
ness, very gentle in all their relations of life. The men 
are tall, plain farmers, simple in their ways The women 
are smaller than the men. Nothing but the rather coarse, 
straight hair and strange speech recalls the Indian." 

Dark and threatening clouds were now gathering about 
the Oneidas, and deeply felt by the young missionaries. 
Instead of rejoicing over their prosperity, their well cul- 
tivated farms, rich valley, and well-to-do homes scattered 
about the Reservation, there were those who coveted their 
possessions and determined, if possible, to wrest them 
away, and have the inoffensive people all driven off 
further to some unknown western wilderness. False 
representations were sent on to Washington, making it 
appear that the Oneidas were a scourge to the white 
people, and a nuisance to their neighbors at Green Bay, 



246 THE ONBIDAS. 

and that they must be removed. As troubles were in- 
creasing, the chiefs and prominent men of the tribe are 
said to have met almost daily in Council. The Agent of 
the Government came to them full of threats to intimi- 
date them ; occasionally he resorted to bribery. 

The Missionary, though much distressed for them, 
kept aloof from their councils, but his opinions were well 
known, and his advice always faithfully given to the peo- 
ple when asked. The great majority of them were 
strongly opposed to removal. A direct appeal to the 
Government at Washington was resolved upon. The 
Green Bay and Chicago newspapers, active in the con- 
flict, roused great indignation among the Oneidas. 
Finally, Onangwatgo — Cornelius Hill — who had been 
educated at Nashotah, and it is said, "would do credit to 
any community," wrote an answer to the fulminations of 
the Agent. It was eloquent, at times quietly sarcastic, 
as he defended his race and compared them with the 
whites and some of their riotous ways of living at the 
P >ay. He clearly proved that the Agent was acting on 
purely selfish motives to gain their lands for speculation ; 
that his people were doing their best to cultivate them 
and improve themselves in every way possible, and that 
every right-thinking person felt they had been ill-used. 
The Government assured them that they were not to be 
removed ; so the Agent was silenced for a time. 

There had been at one time a Pagan chief with a small 
fanatical following, whose one idea was for them to re- 
main Indians, as he expressed it, for all time, and who, 
to keep up his influence, had encouraged his followers in 
their various lawless deeds, among others to drive away 
all missionaries from among them. But even he had 
come under the Rev. Air. Goodnough's influence, and had 



REV. MR. GOODNOUGH. 247 

ceased to annoy. Says Miss Cooper, in writing of those 
times : "When the Agent again decided to drive the peo- 
ple into selling their lands, he turned to the Chief 
referred to and made an ally of him. This Chief was 
finally induced to approve of the sale and to persuade 
some others to adopt his views." 

The following summer the crops failed, especially the 
Indian corn on which the Oneidas depended in a great 
measure for food. The people, therefore, had no other 
means of subsistence than cutting wood from the forest 
for sale. They made shingles, cut firewood, square tim- 
ber, and railroad ties. The women made baskets and 
brooms. By these means they lived comfortably, al- 
though the crops had failed. Suddenly the Agent called a 
general Council. Here he read what he declared to be an 
order from the Government forbidding the people to cut 
a single stick of timber, except for their own firewood, or 
building-purposes, and threatening them with prison if 
they disobeyed. In dismay the Indians again applied to 
their Missionary, telling him that they must starve or beg 
if they could not cut their timber and sell it. The forest 
at that time was very dense. He advised prudence in 
cutting the wood, and told them he thought the order was 
written by the Agent himself to frighten them into sell- 
ing their lands. 

Says one describing this sad and anxious time : "Again 
the Agent called a general Council, reading the same 
order and threatening to march soldiers on the Reserva- 
tion if the people disobeyed. He also forbade their con- 
sulting the Missionary, or asking him to write letters for 
them. 'The Agent; he said, 'must alone write all their 
letters to the Government.' lie warned them that if the 
Missionary gave them advice, or wrote letters for them, 



248 THE ONBIDAS. 

he would drive him from the Reservation. Here the 
young Chief, Cornelius Hill, said : 'We have always con- 
sulted our Minister about our affairs, why not continue 
to do so now?' 

' 'If he writes a word for you or gives advice about tem- 
poral business I will drive him off the Reservation at 
once,' was the answer. Here the old heathen ally of the 
Agent exclaimed ; 'We must cut the Minister's head off,' 
meaning the threat in a figurative sense. Onangwatgo 
then exclaimed with great indignation : 'I put my arms 
around the Minister. You must cut my head off first, 
before you can cut the Minister's head off.' Loud ap- 
plause followed this speech, the building resounded with 
'Toh ! Toh ! Toh !' 'hear ! hear !' and ' Yoh ! Yoh ! Yoh !' 
'right! right!'" 

Some days passed, when with a singular perseverance 
the Agent wrote to the Missionary himself, saying he had 
received an order from the Department forbidding the 
Indians to cut their timber, and if the Missionary advised 
the people to disregard this order he would be removed 
from the Reservation. The Rev. Mr. Goodnough wrote 
in reply, asking for a copy of the order. The Agent an- 
swered he was not bound to show the orders of the 
Department. The Missionary then wrote to the Indian 
Commissioner at Washington, enclosing copies of the 
Agent's threatening letters and his own replies and asked 
for a copy of the one forbidding the cutting of timber. 
The Commissioner immediately forwarded copies of the 
whole correspondence with the Agent relating to the sub- 
ject, showing clearly that the Agent had urged the De- 
partment to forbid the Indians to cut their timber, but the 
Department had refused to do so. 

The plot was discovered, yet it seemed only to increase 




Chief Hill 



REV. MR. GOODNOUGH. 249 

the Agent s naueu against the faithful Missionary. Sud- 
denly he left for Washington. His object at first was a 
secret, but soon it was learned that he had gone to make 
arrangements for selling the Reservation. Without de- 
lay their young Chief Onongwatgo called a Council at 
the Mission school house. The Chief then dictated a 
letter to the Rev. Mr. Goodnough for the authorities at 
Washington, protesting in the strongest manner against 
the sale of their lands. Seven chiefs and all the men 
present signed the letter. 

The Agent reached Washington, and while telling the 
Commissioner that "A large majority of the Indians 
desired to sell" was met by this letter containing their 
strong protest. The Agent again returned a defeated 
man, and was more abusive and violent in his threats than 
ever. But the joy of the Indians was unbounded. 

Various and new devices were formed to get possession 
of the rich and well cultivated lands. Among others, 
false reports, all easily disproved, were made against the 
Missionary, to get him removed. The Agent's schemes 
were too numerous for us to describe. But he did not 
succeed in any of them, and to the great joy of the 
Indians, was himself removed from the Agency. These 
trials, now happily over, had caused constant and deep 
anxiety to the Indians and their faithful Missionary. 

Others in charge of the Oneidas have doubtless with- 
stood similar efforts to dislodge them, though not 
so persistently or treacherously kept up. Government, 
too, has since been roused to a more just policy towards 
the Indians, and unworthy agents are no longer allowed 
to scheme and use threats to obtain their Reservation. 
Still these trials have never wholly ceased, for there are 
always some white men near to covet the Indians' lands. 



250 THE ONEIDAS. 

Not only these public disturbances, but all private trou- 
bles, were brought with confidence to the Mission House, 
for either Mr. or Mrs. Goodnough to settle. And their 
influence could be seen through the good work steadily 
going on among them. Frequently there were as many 
as 200 communicants in good standing in attendance at 
church. 

The church was becoming much too small for them. 
Mr. Goodnough wrote that "frequently it was so over- 
crowded many had to stand outside. And this, too, on 
cold days and after coming from a great distance, and 
yet with the reverence and deep attention they would 
have shown if inside the church." There was talk now 
going on among them of building a larger and more 
suitable stone church. They were very poor, however, 
and knew it would be a work of time to accomplish, but 
they could at least begin by drawing stones for it at spare 
times. Frequent repairs were also needed to their wood- 
en church, built, not very substantially, in 1839. There 
had never been a proper Altar at Hobart Church. What 
they used as such until 1868 was a common wooden table 
covered at ordinary times with a square cloth, once red 
but long since faded to a dingy gray. We are told : 

"The Indians decided it was a duty to provide a muGh 
better Altar for the Holy Communion, and with earnest 
zeal both men and women entered upon the task of pro- 
viding means for it. The women picked and sold berries, 
made baskets and mats, and through much self denial 
gave all their earnings for the Altar, while the men gave 
freely and cheerfully from their small earnings. They 
all felt anxious that the Altar should be in place for the 
next visitation, now near at hand, of their venerable and 
beloved Bishop. And they were not disappointed. The 



REV. MR. GOODNOUGH. 251 

$80 required was raised in time, with but little outside 
help. Mr. Goodnough had prepared a design, and the 
Altar was made at Green Bay and placed in Hobart 
Church a day or two before Bishop Kemper came to 
them. He was now aged, nearly fourscore years, and 
becoming feeble, but he still filled his appointments with 
regularity. Our Bishop never disappoints us, was a 
common saying among the people." 

As years passed on, steady progress in civilization con- 
tinued to be made among the Oneidas, and it was re- 
marked upon by all who visited the Mission. The moral 
and religious tone was also very encouraging. The Rev. 
Mr. Goodnough wrote me in 1869, "The people are doing 
well. When we look back 15 years to our first coming 
here and compare the condition of things then with the 
present we can hardly restrain our expression of wonder 
and deep thankfulness. God has wrought wonders. 
We have enemies now, as we have always had and must 
expect to have, but they have not seriously injured us." 

The venerable Bishop Kemper has always been re- 
ceived by the Oneidas with the utmost respect and affec- 
tion. They thronged as usual out on the road to meet 
him, men, women and children, in every way striving to 
manifest their pleasure at seeing him ; for he was indeed 
to them as a beloved and venerated father. He was 
also very kind to the Mission family, and, in connec- 
tion with the Rev. Dr. Adams, was then assisting to edu- 
cate their eldest son at Nashotah. 

A few years earlier, when he had made an appoint- 
ment to visit the Mission in the autumn, a worthy old 
woman, on hearing of it, gathered a very large basket of 
blackberries in August. This she slung to her back by 
the burden strap passing around her forehead, and 



252 THE ONEIDAS. 

walked 20 miles to Appleton, where she sold the berries 
for 8 cents a quart. With this money she bought a very 
handsome cup and saucer that cost $1.75. This she 
brought to Mrs. Goodnough, and said : "These are for 
our father, the Bishop, to drink tea out of." They were 
set before the Bishop when he came, and he was greatly 
pleased. After that, whenever he came they were placed 
on the table for his use. 

In 1869 they were not on the supper-table. "Where is 
my cup? Is it broken?" asked the good Bishop. It had 
only been forgotten and was soon placed before him. 

"Now I can drink my tea in comfort," he said with a 
pleased look at the cup and saucer given him by a poor 
Indian woman, whose gift and self-denial he so well ap- 
preciated. 

This was the last visitation of the dear old Bishop to 
the Oneidas, towards whom he had ever shown love and 
interest in their temporal and spiritual welfare. His 
diocesan work was drawing to a close. The following 
spring, May 24, 1870, aged 81 years, he fell asleep, be- 
loved and deeply mourned by all who had come under the 
influence of his sweet, amiable disposition and rare self- 
denial in giving up all the comforts of home to become ? 
pioneer Missionary Bishop, literally "enduring hardships 
as a brave soldier and servant of Christ." 

A few months later, or in the autumn of 1871, occurred 
the terrible forest fires which destroyed many small ham- 
lets in Wisconsin and in which not a few lives were lost. 
These fires were raging with great fury at no great dis- 
tance from the Oneida Reservation. Small settlements 
and farms were destroyed, and broad reaches of forests 
entirely burned. The air was thick and oppressive with 
smoke. A constant watch was kept up on the Reserva- 



REl\ MR. GOODNOUGH. 253 

tion night and day. Finally the flames reached the 
Oneida forests and destroyed much of their valuable tim- 
ber, but no buildings of importance were injured. The 
fences of the Mission House were burned. The fire 
came so close to them that the building as well as the 
school-house was for a time in much danger; but they 
were saved through vigilant watchfulness, day and night. 
In some parts of Wisconsin the waters were so greatly 
impregnated with lye from the burnt district, that for 
several months they could not be used. In the timber 
country streams 100 feet in width became useless. And 
during some months of the following winter, the men at 
work in the forests were compelled to use snow for cook- 
ing and drinking. 



254 THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter XX. 
Records of a Busy Life. 

During these latter busy years of the colaborers Mrs. 
Goodnough began a diary to record some of the events 
in the mission life among the Oneidas. It was written 
for the information and pleasure of two friends living at a 
distance, who were much interested in the Indian Mis- 
sion. It proved very interesting, from its truthful rec- 
ords giving an accurate idea of the missionary work 
among a peculiar people, as seen from within. The diary, 
as it came to us shortly after the death of Ellen Good- 
nough, appeared of such general interest that our friend, 
Miss Susan Fenimore Cooper, daughter of the distin- 
guished author and niece of Bishop DeLancy, a writer of 
some note herself, was induced to prepare a portion of it 
for the press with gleanings from letters previously re- 
ceived from the Missionary and placed at her disposal. 

They, with other valuable information connected with 
the Oneidas' earlier history, appeared several years ago 
in continued chapters in the "Living Church" of Chicago. 
We are now prevailed upon to reproduce some extracts 
from this interesting diary, as originally written for us 
by one who literally laid down her life in serving the 
dusky Indian. One of the first entries, simply given, 
shows the courage. Christian faith, and trust that sup- 
ported Ellen Goodnough under many a trying difficulty. 

"June 2nd, 1866 — We closed the school to-day on ac- 
count of the small-pox which has raged fearfully about 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 255 

us through the winter and spring. Our nearest neighbor 
has it now and we are quite surrounded by it. When it 
first broke out the people were very careless indeed, many 
thinking it was the measles. Nearly 20 families had it 
before it was known what it really was. My husband 
sent to Green Bay for a physician and had all the school 
children vaccinated before he dismissed them. People 
say that the Indians always have this disease worse than 
the whites. Among the Prairie tribes in 1837, 10,000 
are known to have died in one year. The families of 
one thousand lodges among the Blackfeet, Chikaree.-. 
and Mandans were swept away. It broke out among 
the Mandans, July 15th, and in a few r weeks it is said out 
of 1,600 people only 30 were left. 

"June 5th — Prepared a basket of food this morning 
for a large family who are all ill. Arthur, my oldest boy, 
carried the basket near the house, shouted, and the man 
taking care of the family came out. Arthur set the basket 
down and ran home. This is the way we have adopted 
to help the sufferers. Provisions and medicines are fur- 
nished by the chiefs and friends and carried near the 
houses, when the nurses come out and take what is left 
for them, but they do not leave the sick ones until all 
danger of spreading the disease is over. A woman and 
her babe died last night and were buried in the woods. 
Thirteen near us have died lately. I look around upon 
my own five children with dread, yet trust they may be 
spared. 

"June 22nd — To day has been set apart by the Mis- 
sionary as a day of prayer and fasting on account of the 
small-pox, which has not yet left the Reservation, though 
it is hoped the worst is over. Vaccination, and the care 
now taken to prevent the disease from spreading, is hav- 
ing a very good effect. 



256 THE ONEIDAS. 

"June 23d — The interpreter was here to-day. He lives 
on his farm about five miles away. He is a most excellent 
man, a truly devout Christian. He had just come from 
Green Bay, where a white man, a lawyer, tried hard to 
make him swear a false oath as witness. At last the 
lawyer offered him a bribe of $3 to induce him to take the 
oath. He little knew the true uprightness of our Chris- 
tian brother, who was quite amazed at this conduct of a 
man he had looked up to as learned in the law and a 
gentleman. 'He ought to know what is right a great deal 
better than an Indian' was the comment of the Indian. 

Although the Missionary understands Oneida, can 
speak it, and reads it well, and conducts the Services with 
ease, he never preaches in it, fearing to make some mis- 
take. The interpreter always translates the sermon. 
The language, though soft and musical in many of its 
sounds, is harsh in others and is very hard to learn to 
speak perfectly. Children acquire it easily. Our little 
ones speak it better than English, but the Oneidas say no 
grown person, scarcely speaks it without mistakes. 

"June 24th. Sunday — The Church was full to-day. 
Three children were baptized. Indian babies seem to 
take pleasure in being christened. They really behave 
remarkably well, often looking up intently in the Minis- 
ter's face and smiling sweetly. They seldom cry. After 
the Baptism a hymn was sung. Then a young couple 
came forward to be married. The bride is about 14. 
Probably these young people have spoken but little to 
one another previous to the ceremony which united them 
for life. The relatives generally settle the marriages in 
their families, but the consent of both parties is of course 
always obtained before the ceremony. The young bride 
was very pleasing and modest in appearance. The 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 257 

Oneida girls are generally very pleasing and modest in 
look and manner. 

"Monday — When we rose this morning we found a 
number of our people outside the house waiting to see 
their "father" in order to get some money. They often 
bring him their money for safe keeping and draw it out 
as they need it. Sometimes they lend little sums to each 
other, Mr. Goodnough keeping the account and casting 
up the interest, which is never usurious. 

"There is a death feast to-day. This is one of the old 
heathen customs they will keep up and cling to. They 
believe when a person dies the spirit stays in the house 
10 days. On the tenth the relatives of the deceased make 
a feast in the house of mourning, and all partake of it in. 
profound silence. Not a word is spoken excepting by the 
one appointed to speak of the departed and call to remem- 
brance any little incident of the individual's life, dwelling 
on the good qualities. They say if this ceremony is 
omitted the departed one is sad and hungry. 

"Tuesday — Six women came to spend the afternoon 
with me, bringing their sewing. We had a very pleasant 
visit indeed. They were nicely dressed, and very neat. 
My visitors could not speak much English, and I cannot 
converse freely in Oneida, though I understand it pretty 
well. We talked about a new Altar for our Church. It 
is greatly needed. I am very hopeful this improvement 
may be brought about. 

"Saturday — This morning I called some of the girls 
into my kitchen to teach them the art of making yeast and 
bread. Many of the Indian families now use wheat 
flour. Ten years ago they only used it on great occasions 
and at their feasts. Their own common bread is very 
hard to make and indigestible for those who are not ac- 



258 THE ONBIDAS. 

customed to it. It is made of white maize. The corn is 
shelled, boiled for a few moments in strong lye, then 
washed thoroughly in cold water until the hulls all come 
off. They have a wooden mortar in each house made 
by burning a hollow in a hardwood log, which is about 
3 feet long and stands on the floor. The maize, freed 
from its hulls, is then pounded into flour by a wooden or 
stone pestle. It is afterwards sifted through a sieve 
made of very fine strands of bark. It is then mixed with 
boiling water and kneaded into round flat cakes, which 
are baked in the ashes of the fireplace, or boiled like 
dumplings for an hour or more. Whole beans, or dried 
berries, in it are considered an improvement. The In- 
dians declare this bread of theirs will sustain life longer 
than any other article of food. 

"Saturday evening — This is mail day. Mr. Goodnough 
being Postmaster and postman, too, brings the mail him- 
self from Green Bay. Twelve years ago the Saturday 
evenings and nights were times of terror to me, owing to 
the riotous conduct of the people returning from trading 
at the Bay. But the people are now quiet and orderly, 
they make their little purchases and come home sober. 
There is only an occasional case of drunkenness and no 
general sprees. 

"September ist — Old Mother Margaret Skenandoah 
came to spend the afternoon with me. She told me that 
a few days since a wild Indian had died at the Chippawa 
camp and some of our Oneidas went to see the burial, 
then added : 'YYe could hardly help crying when we saw 
how foolish and ignorant those Chippawas are. It 
don't seem as if our people were ever so ignorant but I 
suppose they must have been so, for I remember when I 
was a little girl they used to do a great many things that 
would seem awful foolish and wicked now.' 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 259 

"These Chippawas are indeed a very wild, destitute and 
miserable appearing set of Indians who came here and 
asked permission to camp in the woods of the Reservation 
for the summer. The Oneidas, always generous, readily 
granted their request. The Missionary has been to see 
them and tried to persuade them to come to Church, but 
they are violently opposed to Christianity. One or two 
who can speak a little English, exclaimed with excite- 
ment, 'We no want white man's God. We no want to be 
Christian. We stay Indians and keep Indian ways.' 
creatures ! Some of the Chippawas, however, are 
partly civilized, and good Christians, but this band is very 
wild. 

"September 13th — At an early hour this morning the 
Indians began to gather at the Mission. They came to 
clear some new land for a mission pasture. The first to 
appear was Johnny Wys-to-te, 'Snowbird.' The children 
are all glad to see him. He is a good fellow, has been 
baptized, but not confirmed, because occasionally he will 
go on a spree. He is over 40, but has neither wife nor 
child. Johnny is very lazy or slow ; it even seems art 
effort to him to speak. Strange to say he is one of the 1 
swiftest runners of the tribe. There are three runners, 
public officials. They are employed by the Chiefs in case 
of a council or for accidents, or any matter requiring im- 
mediate public attention. If a person is killed, drowned,, 
or frozen to death, these runners go through the settle- 
ment shouting the 'Death Whoop,' a peculiar, unearthly 
sound familiar to every Indian, and once heard by a 
white person, never forgotten. These runners start from 
one end of the settlement in a line, one behind another, 
about 6 or 8 paces apart. The first gives the 'Death 
Whoop,' then after a moment the next one, then the 



260 THE ONBIDAS. 

third. Thus they run at the swiftest pace through the 
whole settlement. It is a sound that makes one shud- 
der. However distant, this fearful cry is immediately 
recognized by the people. They run to the roadside with 
anxious hearts fearing that the dead one may be a rela- 
tive or friend. I have heard this 'Death Whoop' a few 
times, but hope never to hear it again. 

"September 14th — There were 80 Indians here at 
dinner yesterday after their work on the pasture land. 
Several of the women came to assist me in preparing their 
late dinner. Many of the women are fine cooks, but not 
very economical ; they like to use all they have at once, 
invite their friends to a feast, and then live on as little 
as possible for a long time. It is the delight of the 
Oneida heart to make a feast, big or little, as the case 
may be. They are very hospitable. They will often 
work hard, pinch and scrimp in every way in order to 
treat their friends to a good dinner. The Indians cleared 
about seven acres of heavily timbered land. 

"After dinner they sat under the trees in the yard, to 
smoke their pipes and make speeches in Oneida. Jacob 
Hill, a leading warrior, and a Church officer spoke first. 
He said, 'It must be pleasant to our father and mother to 
see so many of us here to-day. We have surprised them. 
They did not expect us to do this work for them.' The 
people answered, 'Yo ! Yo ! Yo !' which means approba- 
tion. Several other speeches were also made. Cornelius 
Hill, the young chief, is a fine speaker. He thanked all 
his brothers then present in the name of their father and 
mother, the Missionaries for what they had done. He 
also spoke of the repairs and improvements needed for the 
Church. He urged every one old and young to do all 
they could for their Church. 'Yo ! Yo ! Yo!' 'Well, well, 
well !' was the answer from the men. 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 261 

"There were several strangers at dinner, 2 or 3 Oneidas 
and 2 Onondagas from the Castle in New York. Paul 
Powles, a chief, brought them in and seated them at the 
first table. They sat with their hats on, spitting right and 
left. Our people were evidently mortified at their want 
of manners. Old Margaret said to me, 'they don't know 
any better. All our folks that come from down below 
are a great deal more Ingcny than we are. It is strange 
too, for here we are away off alone, and they are mixed 
with white people and have white folks all around them.' 

' 'Yes,' replied Hannah Powless, 'but it is the low kind 
of white folks, Irish and Dutch, and such like. They 
don't know any more than Indians do.' The Oneidas 
have a great contempt for the degraded class of for- 
eigners. They do not consider them white folks at all.' " 

We would here state that the surroundings of the In- 
dians at Oneida Castle and Onondaga have greatly 
changed since that remark of Old Margaret. The 
Oneidas at the Castle have become a more civilized, in- 
dustrious, and agricultural people. And the Onondagas, 
on their Reservation, are well looked after and prosper- 
ous under charge for some time of the Rev. Mr. Hay- 
ward, one of the Church's missionaries. 

"I was amused this evening by one of the chiefs' say- 
ing to me, 'What kind of a woman is Mrs. Smith?' (a 
visitor at the Reservation). I replied: 'I should think 
she is a very nice lady.' 'We did not think so,' replied 
the chief, 'cause she laughs and talks so loud. I guess 
she did not have good bringing up.' The Indians con- 
sider it a decided mark of ill breeding for women to talk 
or laugh in a loud tone. All the Oneida women seem to 
have sweet low voices. 

"Sunday, Sept. 16th — There was Baptism to-day; two 






262 THE ONEIDAS. 

babies and a little boy of 8. He came from Canada lately, 
behaved very nicely and seemed to understand the solemn 
Service. The babies smiled up at the Minister as usual. 
One baby about three months old wore a long white 
dress and a red flannel skirt two inches longer ; the other 
wore a pink calico with a long white underskirt trimmed 
with broad lace edging around the bottom. When we 
first came here all the babies were christened on the 
cradle-board, which was ornamented with feathers and 
beads and other gewgaws. These babies, no doubt, have 
Indian names besides the American or Christian names 
given in Baptism. 

"Our own children all received Indian names from their 
Oneida friends soon after they were born. Arthur was 
named 'Ta-ko-wa-gon,' 'holds the people.' One of the 
young men not liking this gave him another name, 'Ga- 
ron-sa' 'bright morning.' Willie was 'Ra-na-ta-non,' 
'watchman.' After we lost him the Oneidas wished this 
name put upon his tombstone, which was done. Edwy's 
name is 'Ah-re-we-ost-oni,' 'a good word.' When about 
6 years old, from his active movements it was changed 
into 'This-ta-rak,' 'grasshopper.' Lilly's name is 'Ka-sin- 
na-wan,' 'our lady.' Johnny's name is 'To-ta-wa-sah,' 'all 
glass.' Alice is 'Ogu-gu-ha,' 'flower,' while her god- 
mother, was called 'Gu-gu-ha,' 'full flower,' or 'open 
flower.' 

"Wednesday, Oct. 7th — I saw a 'witch-light' last night. 
I have not seen one before in some years. In old times, 
the Oneidas say witchcraft held a great place among their 
people, but since they have become Christians the super- 
stition has almost died out. Not entirely, however. 
There are some people here who believe they are witches, 
and must practice witchcraft. I do not know as they do 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 263 

much harm, but they annoy the people. The 'witch-light' 
rises high up in the air, then suddenly goes out. In a few 
minutes it rises again, perhaps at some distance from the 
first light. At times it rises like a ball of fire, and when 
high in the air explodes. 

"A few years ago Adam Peters had a sick child; every 
night the watchers were frightened by the 'witch-light.' 
It appeared regularly every night at certain hours. The 
child died, and the 'witch-light' still appeared, a sign, it 
was thought, that another one of the family was to be 
taken away. Adam became very brave and made a silver 
bullet. It must be made of silver coin to have any effect 
on a real witch. He loaded his gun and lay in wait for 
the light. It appeared as usual at some distance from the 
house ; he bravely fired towards where the light arose, and 
then rushed for safety into the house. He said he heard 
a scream. The next morning a harmless old woman was 
said to be sick. Her disease proved to be a silver bullet. 
It was taken from her side. She had a long illness, but 
recovered, and has been a devoted Christian since then." 

An intelligent Oneida once made the remark: "Why do 
the papers always tell the bad things the Indians do, but 
never the good?" Recalling this, we would here say 
that the Indian was not alone in his superstitious belief in 
the efficacy of a silver bullet, for very recently we find 
this item in print : 

"In witchcraft-lore silver seems to have been credited 
with great power to disperse evil spirits." In an old book 
upon the subject one reads of a "valiant soldier who has 
skill in Necromancy and who always used silver bullets to 
shoot away the witches." 

A gentleman interested in curios recently purchased 
an old musket of a Pennsylvania farmer. From its ap- 



264 THE ONBIDAS. 

pearance the weapon antedates the Revolution. It was in 
a deplorable state of rust and in cleaning it the new 
owner discovered that it was loaded. He carefully with- 
drew the charge, and to his surprise found, instead of bul- 
lets, two bent silver shillings dated 1781, tightly wadded 
with leaves of a Bible of ancient print. Beneath the coins 
were a small lock of hair and a piece of paper containing 
an illegible quotation. The gunpowder was coarse, and 
undoubtedly of colonial manufacture. The whole is said 
to look very much like a charmed charge calculated to 
demolish some weird lady of the broomstick. 

To return to Mrs. Goodnough's diary : 

"Before the Oneidas moved to Wisconsin, some 45 
years ago, 4 women were tried at Oneida Castle, N. Y., 
by the Chiefs for being witches. They were declared 
guilty and condemned to death unless they should sol- 
emnly promise they would give up witchcraft. But the 
wretched creatures said they were witches and could not 
help it. They were killed in the Council House with 
tomahawks. Old Henry, one of the executioners, was a 
singular man, and never after spoke of these women if 
he could help it. His neighbors said he was haunted by 
the dead witches. No doubt the memory of the dead 
troubled him at times. 

"Thursday — Mary Ann Bread, Mary and Rachel Hill 
were here to drink tea with me- They asked for some 
sewing. I gave them a calico dress to make for Lilly. 
'I will tell you something,' said Mary Ann, 'but you must 
not tell the Minister.' 'If it is anything he ought to know 
I must tell him.' 'Oh ! it isn't much. But you know 
how he scolded us the other Sunday about tattling. I 
thought he meant me all the time ; Rachel says for sure 
he meant her, and my Kate says he meant her. I guess 
he meant us all,' she added with a laugh. 




A Typical Oneida of the Past 




Oneida Worn' 













Members of the Hobart ('. uilil 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 265 

"Monday — I have quite a large knitting-class now ; 
three married women among them. Lilly went to school 
this morning with a pair of red mittens I had just finished 
for her; so they all wanted to knit mittens. I told them 
to finish their stockings first. Some of them wanted to 
knit gloves, too, as gloves they said, were more fashion- 
able. They love finery, yet many of them still come to 
me with their heads so wrapped up I have to ask them to 
take off their wraps. They often wear 3 or 4 handker- 
chiefs, or small shawls or green veils one over another, 
on their heads. It seems to be a sort of modesty or shy- 
ness which leads them to do this. You seldom see an 
Oneida woman out of her own house bareheaded. Some 
of them have good shawls but they wear them wrapped 
around them blanket fashion. 

" 'Garrentha,' 'falling bark,' happened in while we were 
knitting. She is an excellent girl and a great favorite 
with me. She sings in the choir, and very nicely too- 
She is a good sewer, and dresses neatly, wearing the usual 
long skirt and over this the shorter gown, generally bor- 
dered with ribbon or velvet and sometimes embroidered. 
Her dress is always pleasing. She wears her shawl 
'white folks' way, instead of blanket fashion. You sel- 
dom see a real blanket now ; they were very common when 
we first came here. She also wears a gipsy hat instead of 
three wraps. People say : 'Oh ! Garrentha will never 
marry now, she is too old!' She is in fact 19. But 
the Oneida girls are married so early — at 14 or 15 — that 
19 is considered an advanced age. 

"Oct. 10th — Several women called on us to-day to talk 
about the much needed repairs of our Church. First 
we must have a new Altar. We have never had a Com- 
munion Table worthy of the Holy Service. A miserable 



266 THE ONBIDAS. 

old table covered with a crimson cloth now faded to gray, 
is the present Altar. Then we must have a new pulpit- 
cover. The roof leaks badly, and we must have a new 
one. The women are much interested in the repairs, as 
they always are. Last fall the women alone raised $92 
to buy lamps and shades for the windows, but that was a 
good year for berries- They gathered the berries, carried 
them on their backs to the nearest town, sold them, and 
brought the money to me for the lamps and shades. 
Quite a number of women called to-day bringing their 
money offerings for the Altar ; $18 was the amount. One 
little boy brought 3 cents, another 2 cents. My friends 
asked what would be the cost of an Altar. I told them 
we might have a respectable one for $25. A handsome 
one would cost from $50 to $100. 'You must decide 
yourselves whether it shall be cheap or expensive.' 
They talked together awhile in Oneida, and then said, 
'We must have the best we can get. We cannot get 
anything too good for the Church, which is the Lord's 
House.' 

" 'I never cared much about making this Church nice' 
said Rachel Hill, 'for I've always thought we should have 
to leave it some day. In our old home in York State 
we had a nice Church and nice homes, too, orchards and 
all we wanted. But we had to leave all and come off here 
in the thick woods and suffer everything. Now we are be- 
ginning to be comfortable, but see how our Great Father 
wants to get our lands, see how the white folks want to 
get our homes.' 'We were rich once,' said Mary Ann 
Bread,' 'we had large annuities, and ever so much land, 
and now this little piece is all we have left. I should think 
white folks would be ashamed to take this little land away 
too.' 'Why are there so many bad white folks when they 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 267 

have Bibles and Ministers and Prayer Books and 
Churches and schools? Yet they are so wicked!' ex- 
claimed Margaret Skenandoah. 'It is because the 
wicked ones do not take to heart what the Bible and 
Prayer Book teaches them,' was my answer. 

"October 15th — John Baird came this morning bring- 
ing me $5 for the Altar. This is very generous. It is 
as much from John as $300 would be from many white 
men. John is a fine specimen of an Indian, manly, hon- 
est, straightforward, and upright in all his dealings. 
He is proud of his good name, and of his many friends. 
He is really a good farmer, mechanic, and blacksmith. 
His farm is small, but well worked, and stocked with 
cows, horses, and sheep. He works in his blacksmith- 
shop in winter. Though a young man of only 28, he has 
quite a family to support. A wife, three children of his 
own, an orphan niece and two poor orphan boys. John 
has done well by those poor children, providing them 
with a comfortable home, plenty of food and clothing, 
and sending them regularly to school. His orphan niece, 
Rachel, is one of our most advanced scholars. 

"John Baird is one of the temporal officers of the 
Mission. There are three of these officers. It is their 
duty to look after the poor and sick, and attend to all 
the temporal matters of the Church. John often comes 
to the Missionary for medicines for the sick. My hus- 
band studied medicine in his early youth with his own 
father, who was a physician, and he had a good deal of 
practice among our Oneidas in all ordinary cases. He 
keeps a supply of medicines for them, giving it to who- 
ever needs it. 

Saturday, 18th — Freddie Cornelius, a little 9 year old 
boy, brought a quarter of a dollar for the new Altar, all 



2 68 THE ONBIDAS. 

in pennies; he must have been saving them a long time. 
Five women came a little later, each with her dollar. 
Two old women brought 50 cents each. Rachel Hill 
brought $1.25 by the sale of her beautiful butter. She 
is a fine housekeeper, very neat and industrious. She 
has many cows and often sends us a nice roll of butter. 
She is a good mother, and sends her children to the mis- 
sion school very regularly through all weathers. Her 
daughter Margaret is called the best singer in the choir. 

"In keeping the account of the money received for the 
Altar, I write the names of the contributors with the 
amount given by each. The women are much interested 
in this account. 'Will our father, the Bishop see this 
book when he comes?' they ask eagerly. They are 
very fond of their aged Bishop, and well they may be; 
he has been indeed a father to the Oneidas. Their name 
for him is 'Ha-re-ro-wah-gon,' 'He has power over all 
words.' 

"It is a busy time with the women now; they gather 
and husk the corn, having planted and hoed it in the 
spring and summer. They also dig the potatoes. They 
do not, however, work in the fields nearly so much as a 
few years ago. Many of them are depending on the 
corn-husks for their contribution towards the new Altar. 
They are carefully stored away in the house, and winter 
evenings are braided into mats which sell for 8 or 10 
cents apiece. Some of the husks are very nicely pre- 
pared for mattresses- They are carefully dried and split 
in fine strands with a wire, then carried in bundles on the 
backs of the women to the Bay, a distance of 10 miles, 
where they sell from 4 to 6 cents a pound, according to 
their quality. 

"Some of the merchants have tried to beat them down 



RECORDS OF A BUSY LIFE. 269 

to a smaller sum. Old Margaret came in to-day with 
a piteous story, wishing her 'father' to help her. She 
had hired a horse and wagon and gone to the Bay with 
70 pounds of well prepared husks to sell. The mer- 
chant, a rich man, took them, and she was hoping for 
a buyer. He offered her $2 in store pay. He had not 
the articles she needed in his store and wanted some 
money for the Church and Altar. She told him she 
wanted money or her husks back. She had to come home 
leaving her husks, and without a mouthful to eat all 
day. Some traders seem to have no conscience where 
the Indian is concerned." 



27 o THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter XXI. 

Diarx of Ellen Goodnough, Continued. 

In the midst of her many duties and pressing cares 
Ellen Goodnough continued, at intervals, the diary that 
gives us some interesting facts concerning early events 
and customs among the Oneidas, which otherwise might 
have been lost to us. She writes : 

"November ist — Ball playing is the delight of the 
( )iiL'idas. On the 4th of July and other great occasions 
they make up grand games. Each player has a bat 
made by bending one end of a hickory stick in the form 
of an ox-bow and weaving across the bow strings of 
deerskin. The ball must not be touched once by hand or 
foot, but only with the bat while trying to get it within 
the wicket. There are two sides to the game, one com- 
1 of all the married men disposed to enter into the 
:. the other of an equal number of young men. The 
game is very exciting even to the lookers on, for it calls 
out all the strength, skill, activity, and endurance of the 
players. 

"The Indians have a mystery or medicine for many 
things, among others for ball playing. Old Peter used 
to make this particular mess, and it was said that the 
party who bought and used the medicine could not be 
beaten. One summer when the excitement among the 
ball players ran very high, the young men hired old 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 271 

Peter to make the medicine for them, paying him a very 
high price for it. But when the game was played they 
were defeated, and that evening they caught Peter, he 
was on the playground, and poured all the medicine that 
was left down his throat. He lived only a short time 
after the dose, an hour or so, dying by the roadside. It 
is said this horrible mess must be mixed in a human 
skull. Such was their superstition, but happily it is 
dying out. 

"One old woman makes medicine to guard against 
witches. Old John House was famous for this. One 
summer about ten years ago, a witch appeared in the 
form of a large black hog. It appeared only at night, 
running after people and making awful noises. One 
night it chased a party of young men, who turned upon it 
with stones and clubs, pounding it soundly, when to their 
great astonishment old John House cried for mercy. He 
was ill for some time after this pounding, and had hardly 
recovered when a new witch appeared in the form of a 
wildcat. It was always in some tree and made the most 
hideous noises imaginable. 

"The same party of more civilized young men were 
walking along the road one evening and heard the wild- 
cat. Instead of running away with superstitious fear, 
they again armed themselves with clubs and stones, and 
looked about for the creature, which they soon found 
perched on the limb of a tree. They stoned it furiously 
until it tumbled down, and again old John House cried 
out for mercy. Their stoning, this time had been too 
severe, for the foolish old man died after a few days' 
illness. 

"Sunday, 22nd — There was a very large congregation 
at church to-day. During the service two little red 



272 



THE ONEIDAS. 



babies were baptized. They both looked as sweet and 
clean as any white babies. We do not often nowadays 
see babies on their Indian cradle-board. When we first 
came here we never saw them on anything else. They 
were then baptized so. We used to see them hanging up 
in the log houses, or perhaps suspended from the branch 
of a tree, while the mother would be hoeing corn or dig- 
ging potatoes near by. 

"This cradle is a thin board about two feet long, split 
from a maple log, and made smooth and gaily painted 
with various colors and all sorts of designs. A wooden 
bow is bent over the place where the child's head lies, the 
ends being firmly fastened to the sides of the board. 
On this wooden arch, or bow, little bells and trinkets are 
fastened to amuse the child; it also serves as a handle 
to the cradle. Down each side of the board are fas- 
tened strong straps of deerskin or bark, between which 
and the cradle is passed a broad bandage which binds the 
child closely to the frame so that it cannot move hand or 
foot. It can only move its eyes and mouth, otherwise it 
is bound as close as a mummy. Yet the little creature 
makes no complaint, and thus learns one virtue, patience 
common to all Indians. 

"The little ones baptized to-day smiled as usual as they 
were held in the Missionary's arms and looked up into 
In lace. I cannot at this moment remember seeing any 
( meida baby baptized who did not smile as the Clergy- 
man baptized it. as if it would thank him for admitting 
it into Christ's Church." (And too, perhaps, we may be 
allowed to add, Mr. Goodnough had a very gentle, win- 
ning way with children.) 

"Alter the Baptism this morning there was a marriage. 
The bride but 15 and looked modest and childlike. As 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 275 

a rule the young people have not had a word to say in 
regard to their own marriages. The mother of the 
young man picks out a wife for him and makes a bar- 
gain with the girl's mother. Then the young man sends 
the girl a present of cloth, etc., through his mother, in 
value according to his circumstances. In case the girl 
breaks off the match she must send back the presents, but 
if the young man breaks off the match the presents are 
kept by the girl. When we first came here the young 
people were sometimes forced by their parents to marry. 
As soon as my husband understood the matter he re- 
fused to perform the service unless the parties gave their 
full consent. 

"Sunday evening — The Church was full this morning, 
as it generally is. The congregation looks very different 
from what it did when we first came here. Then, in the 
warmest weather, the women were wrapped in white 
blankets, or else squares of black or blue broadcloth,, 
some of the latter richly embroidered. Now we never 
see a blanket in Church. They wear shawls of the: 
brightest and gayest colors pinned at the throat. A veil' 
or handkerchief, or occasionally now a hat, is worn on' 
the head. The young people sometimes wear gorgeously 
trimmed hats. A lady visiting me, told me that walking 
behind a young girl she counted seven different kinds of 
ribbons on her hat ! 

"Monday — A great many people have been to the 
study to-day. Mr. Goodnough has hardly had time to. 
eat his meals. He keeps their accounts, writes their let- 
ters, is their Doctor, and general adviser, besides his. 
duties as School-Master, Justice of the Peace, and Min- 
ister. Sometimes in winter when they have little to do 
they really crowd the room and take up much of our 



274 THE ONEIDAS. 

time. But as they grow more industrious they find work 
in their own houses. We always make them welcome, 
and are really pleased to see them when we can be 
helpful to them. They are very kind and friendly with 
us, and the Missionary puts in a good word here and 
there about work, or about Christian duties. 

"Friday — I went out to call this afternoon at the 
Widow Nimharns, but the door was closed and the mor- 
tar pestle turned up against it. A sign that no one is 
at home. I found Elizabeth Doxtater and her daughter 
Belinda in. They were busy sewing. Elizabeth is a 
remarkably young looking woman for a great-grand- 
mother. Her hair is as black as jet. The hair of the 
full-blooded Indians seldom turns gray. Old Mary 
Cooper, who is very old, near a hundred she thinks her- 
self, has hair as black as jet. Indian women, at least 
among the Oneidas, do not show their age as white 
women do, but keep their youthful looks remarkably well 
to an advanced age. 

"Saturday — The Chiefs of the First Christian Party 
are in the study counselling with the Missionary. The 
agent has been making trouble. He is a very harsh 
arbitrary man. and determined to get these lands from the 
Indians and drive them further West. There has in- 
been much trouble during the past five years caused 
by this agent. At first he seemed to be a nice plausible 
man. lie came among the people and made friends with 
them. But he now proves anything but a friend. These 
I have it in their power to do much evil or much 
good t<» a tribe. But few of them seem to take a right 
view of their duties. They oftencr aim at making money 
out of the timber and lands of the Indians. 

"Sunday,, Nov. nth— After service Mr. Goodnousrh 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 275 

went to see a sick woman and baptize her child. The 
family live about four miles away in the woods. It is 
dark now, and he has not come home. At 4 o'clock a 
large wedding-party came and are here waiting for him. 
I entertained them as well as I could with books of pic- 
tures. At last Cornelius Hill grew uneasy ; he was 
afraid the minister would lose his way among the cross- 
roads in those woods. I said, 'He is on horseback and 
the pony will know his way if my husband does not.' 

"The instinct of these Indian ponies is really remark- 
able. I gave my friends some supper. Still the minis- 
ter came not. At 10 o'clock the bride and her friends 
prepared to go home, and the men said they would go 
and look after 'their father.' But just then the pony's 
hoofs were heard close at hand. My husband came in 
safe, but cold and tired, having wandered about in the 
woods for five hours. He met no one, but trusted to the 
pony to find his way, as they so often do. After wan- 
dering about for three hours under a dark, cloudy sky, 
suddenly pony stopped and would not move. They were 
on the bank of a stream. He had completely lost his 
way, and evidently made up his mind to pass the night 
in the woods. 

"Mr. Goodnough, however, moved on and at length saw 
a faint light far away. After some difficulty he reached 
a shanty where he found a family of kind Indians, only 
too glad to show their Minister the way home. He said 
to the people waiting for him : 'I did not know that an 
Indian could lose his way.' At this they all laughed 
heartily. As soon as he was warmed, the company 
sobered down and prepared for the marriage service. 
The bride wore a crimson cloth petticoat, long and very 
full, trimmed around the bottom with black velvet. She 



THE ON EI DAS. 

wore above this two short gowns — one bright yellow, 
scalloped around the bottom and bound with green braid ; 
over this she wore one of white muslin. Her shawl was 
a bright plaid wrapped about her blanket fashion. On 
her head she wore a very pretty white cloud, and over it 
a green veil. 

"Monday, 27th — Our dear Bishop came to us last 
Saturday. On Sunday he confirmed 26. He is now very 
feeble, and has grown old very fast during the past year. 
The Altar was finished just before the Bishop came. 
The Indians almost idolize him, they are so much at- 
I Lched to him. Whenever he comes they do everything 
the}- can to show their love and respect for him. They 
all go to meet him, men, women, and children, some on 
foot, some in wagons, or on horseback. Meeting him, 
they all gather about him with affectionate greetings, and 
then follow him to the Mission House. 

"Thursday — I have just been out to drink tea with a 
kind neighbor. About twelve years ago my young sis- 
ter and myself were invited to the same house. We 
went and had corn soup without salt for supper, that 
was all; it was the best they had. Each one ate alone 
with a plate and a wooden ladle or spoon. To-night 
the table at the same house was in every way as nice 
as our own. I could not have set it more neatly my- 
self, and it was loaded with good things all nicely cooked. 
When we first came here I do not think there was one 
family who sat down at table to eat as a regular habit. 
Now they all eat like white people, and very many fam- 
: blessing too. 

"Not long ago, after my last baby was born, a party 
of women came to take tea. Mr. Goodnough was away, 
so at the first table a young lady staying with me pre- 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 277 

sided, at the next an Oneida woman. My young friend 
told me afterwards she was much mortified when the In- 
dian woman asked a blessing very reverently and she had 
neglected to do so. 

"Saturday — Many of the Indians are at work now in 
the pine woods earning good wages. They held a coun- 
cil two weeks ago, and determined to make another effort 
towards repairing the Church, and last Tuesday they 
went to the woods, cut logs, drew them to mill, sold 
them, and last evening brought the money to the Mis- 
sionary. It was $75 to be spent in shingles for the 
new roof, which is greatly needed. The Church sadly 
needs repair. The new Altar is all we could wish, but 
the Church itself needs many repairs. The people are 
talking and hoping for a new stone church, but that 
seems very far off. A few days ago the men sent out 
into the woods and got $50 worth of lumber to fence 
the cemetery- Another day they are going for posts 
for the fence. 

"Next Monday they are to work for us to provide 
our firewood. This they do every year. They go into 
the woods early in the morning, cut the firewood, draw 
it to the house, and eat dinner here, which they seem to 
enjoy very much. There will be from 50 to 150 here 
to-morrow. Some of the women will be here to help 
me cook and serve the dinner. It takes a great deal 
of work, and I do not enjoy it very much. But then 
our people enjoy these gatherings so much. Last fall 
they made a 'bee' to build a barn of hewn logs for 
us. Eighty men came to dinner and supper, and 
stayed at work two days. When the barn was done 
I was almost used up. As I have not table or dishes 
to set for more than 12, or 14 at one time, it takes 



run oxeidas. 

a h mg while for all to eat. But they are very kind to us, 
ami we love the people dearly. 

"Wednesday — I hope to have more time now for 
my correspondence. During the past year I have had 
to leave many things undone. Now I am teaching only 
the Indian boys, six hours a day. After school I sweep 
the school-room, then come home and get dinner and 
per together, wash the dishes and attend to various 
other household duties. Then there is always the mend- 
ing or something to be done to the children's clothes, 
often something to be washed for the next day. Satur- 
day I iron, clean up generally, bake, and so on. But 

ng as I am blessed with good health I am thankful 
to be able to do the work. Last fall when I had to teach 
boys and girls together, and all the evenings were spent 
in writing copies and arranging knitting work, I was 
letimes afraid my own children would be neglected. 
"Friday — It will be as much as the Indians can do 
to take care of themselves this spring. Their crops 

1 last summer and the food supply is giving out. 
Many are now calling on us for assistance, from real 
necessity or in cases of sickness. A poor woman has 
just been in to ask for a coffin, as her husband died last 

night. I took the skirt, you, Miss B sent, to a poor 

woman who is a cripple, perfectly helpless, with three 

ones to care for. I am footing some stockings 
for her now. She is a very grateful creature. 

"Saturday — Lilly has met with a misfortune. She 

very proud of a pretty shawl, a present from the 
Bishop, but she left it carelessly by the roadside and 
when I sent Arthur out for it the old cow was munch- 
ing it up as some new kind of food and trying to make a 
meal of it. 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 279 

"February, 1868— I must tell you of some improve- 
ments. Last year the kind Indians made new fences 
about the Mission House, the Church and the Ceme- 
tery Now a new addition has been built to our house; 
it is a wing but larger than the main building. It con- 
tains four rooms, a porch, and hall, all on the ground 
floor The ceilings are of a good height; the parlor is 
20 feet square, and there is a nice bedroom off the 
parlor, which we call the Bishop's room. The whole 
building has been painted white, with nice green blinds, 
the latter an almost unheard of extravagance in this 
re-ion We feel almost too grand. A woodshed has 
been built adjoining my kitchen. The old dining-room 
has been repaired, the ceiling and woodwork painted 
white, the floor a dark brown. The funds for all these 
improvements were mostly furnished by the Board of 

Missions. ....,' „„ 

-We have the old parlor for a bedroom. It is just large 
enouo-h for that. You cannot imagine how nice it is to 
have a comfortable place to sleep in." (What an insight 
this gives us into what their exceedingly small, poor, and 
overcrowded quarters must have been before these im- 
provements were made. And yet never a murmur, but 
constant entertaining of the poor, inconsiderate In- 
dians and doing for them as royally as though living in 
some old feudal castle.) 

"Bishop Kemper came Saturday, and dedicated, as it 
were, the new part by occupying the Bishop's room for 
the first time. We only moved in last week. I he 
Bishop was detained here two days by a fearful storm, 
and we all enjoyed it very much. 

"March-Once more the season of especial prayer 
and self-examination has arrived, and our little Indian 



2 8o THE ONBIDAS. 

parish appreciate it as well as others. In a few moments 
the bell will ring to call together those who desire to 
pray for pardon, peace, and grace. Surely these espe- 
cial times for prayer free from preaching — prayer in 
common with all the children of our Mother the Church 
— are most precious and sacred. These services have 
been well attended through Lent. From 40 to 80 have 
taken part in them. Lent, Holy Week, and Easter are 
with us all a blessed season. Last Easter a larger num- 
ber of devout believers knelt around the Lord's Table 
than ever before in the Mission Church. It was a bright 
and glorious day. 

"March 13th — I attended service this afternoon, 
though the walking is very bad. It would do your heart 
good to see such a congregation on a week day even in 
a city church. The school-house is crowded. One side 
of the house was full of men who had left their work to 
come to prayers. The service was conducted this after- 
noon by the interpreter, Mr. Goodnough having been 
called to visit a sick woman just as the last bell was 
tolling. 

"Thursday — The agent has been on the Reservation, 
forbidding die cutting or selling of any sort of timber. 
This will cause terrible suffering among our people. 
They depend upon the sale of the timber just now to 
clothe themselves, and in a great measure for food, as 
the corn and potato crops failed entirely last season. 
The potatoes were destroyed by the bugs, and the corn 
by the rain. For 40 years the Indians have carefully 
cut all the timber they wanted, and now they are for- 
bidden to cut their own timber, on their own land, and 
paid for by money of their own. For they sold their 
land in New York and with the money bought this 
tract of land. 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 281 

"It is evidently intended to force the Indians to sell 
their land and to drive them by force farther into the 
wilderness. They have actually been told that if they 
cut their timber and refuse to sell this tract of land, 
Government will send soldiers to drive them away. I 
feel so indignant I can hardly quiet myself. It is intol- 
erable. I should like to know if this tyranny is legal. 
We think not, and Mr. Goodnough has written to the 
Secretary of State at Washington. 

"The land is valuable, and if it could be brought into 
the market it would bring much to selfish speculators. 
The injustice to the Oneidas nobody seems to think of. 
They are just as much attached to the home they have 
made for themselves on this ground as white people 
would be— more attached than many whites are. We 
must pray earnestly that our Heavenly Father would be 
pleased to protect these poor helpless, harmless, Chris- 
tian Oneidas against the covetousness of the whites. 
How few white men seem to think that 'covetousness is 
idolatry' and that 'God hateth the covetous man.' Oh! 
what a sermon might be preached on that text. 

"Tuesday— Your friend the Missionary is a busy man, 
He locked himself in the study this morning to prepare 
his sermon, but was soon called out to see some of our 
people. The Post Office takes up a great deal of time. 
The duties of the office here are certainly peculiar, for 
we are asked to write at the dictation of some of our 
people, and to read their answers also. To-day several 
ailing ones came for advice and medicine. As Justice of 
the Peace there was a case to settle in the school-room. 
Mr. Goodnough had hoped to get his sermon well under- 
way before 10 o'clock, but only got as far as his text. 
He scarcely had time to eat, for when all the business 



THE ONBIDAS. 

matters were settled he was sent for to visit a sick per- 
and did not get home 'till 10 o'clock at night. We 
have seldom been in bed lately before midnight, and your 
friend, the Missionary, is sometimes up until one or two, 
and at other times rises at four. He would not like me 
to speak of his work, but I may surely write to a friend 
like you. This is one of our busiest times. 

"hoc. 22nd, 1869 — Monday Mr. Goodnough went to 
the Bay and found the Oswego box. I cannot tell you 
how glad we all were when we opened it. Wednesday 
we divided the clothing and tied it up in packages. 
Thursday he again went to the Bay and bought 40 
loaves of bread, 400 buns, 20 pounds of candy, a barrel 
of apples, and several boxes of nuts. We also received 
from the Green Bay parish 95 cornucopias well filled 
with candy, raisins and popcorn. There were many nice 
toys, too, dolls and other things. 

"I boiled four large hams. The girls scrubbed the 
school-room. That night we made sandwiches until 12 
o'clock. Early Friday morning I made the boiler full of 
coffee. Then everything — provisions, clothing, and toys 
— was carried to the school-house. There were 96 chil- 
dren present, with many of their parents and friends. 
Mr. Goodnough opened with morning prayer, the chil- 
dren then read and recited some suitable things, after 
which was passed around the sandwiches, buns, and cof- 
fee. The latter was in pails, with two or three cups to 
each. Then came apples, candy, and nuts. There were 
about two hundred present. The Missionary also made 

an address, and Miss and myself distributed the 

cornucopias. Great was the happiness of the school 
children and their friends, some of them coming from 
quite a distance. 



DIARY OF ELLEN GOODNOUGH. 283 

"In the evening— Christmas Eve— I too had a present. 
A handsome writing desk filled with paper and envelopes 
of all sorts and sizes, with a gold pen and silver holder. 
I could not imagine where it came from. I was greatly 
astonished. But when the Missionary said it was a 
present from an old lover of mine, I knew it came from 

himself. 

"December 30th, 1869— We have had a glorious 
Christmas. The Church is beautifully dressed with ever- 
greens; cedar, pine, and ground-pine are used for the 
wreaths. Flowers were made of fancy papers and fas- 
tened among the wreaths very tastefully. The chancel 
is simply decorated with ground-pine. Christmas Eve 
the Church was brilliantly illuminated for the S. S. 
children's festival. There were more than one hundred 
candles, besides our large chandeliers and four side 
lamps. A day or two before Christmas a gentleman at 
the Bay gave us two small chandeliers. The Church 
seemed one blaze of light. The wreaths are so arranged 
that as you enter the building it seemed greatly enlarged. 
"The music was perfectly grand. In the Christmas 
hymns all joined, old and young in the Oneida tongue. 
It was so affecting I had to wipe my eyes several times 
during the singing. The building was far too small. It 
was packed for both services. The little boys looked so 
funny sitting on the chancel steps. Their eyes were 
most as bright as the lights, and danced with pleasure 
and enjoyment. When it came to the children's part 
of the festival, their delight and excitement was more 
than words can tell. They had never before known any- 
thing so grand as this Christmas Eve. 

"After the prayers and singing were over, Cornelius 
Hill, the young Chief, made a speech in Oneida ; then we 



284 THB ONEIDAS. 

gave out the toys sent by Miss B from Oswego. 

The dolls we gave the little girls, pictures and other toys 
! i the older ones. I went among the boys with a little 
box of toy watches, holding one up for them to see. In- 
stantly all order was overthrown. Such a scrambling I 
never saw, the excitement was tremendous. John Baird, 
the head warrior, called to them angrily to be quiet, but 
there was little order until the last watch was gone. 
The clothes were next shown, and the drawing began. 
The girls who had been to school most steadily had the 
first choice, then the next, and so on. 

"It was quite dark when all was over. But it was a 
happy day, one never to be forgotten by the Oneidas. I 

only wish you, Miss B , and other kind friends who 

added so much to the pleasure of the day, could have 
been with us and seen the perfect delight of the Indian 
children. We were all dreadfully tired and hungry; we 
had not sat down scarcely a moment all day or eaten a 
mouthful. I had another surprise that Christmas Eve. 
The women of the parish gave me a fruit-dish, silver- 
1. It is very pretty indeed. Was it not kind of 
them ? 

"Christmas Day itself, was a blessed, holy, and joyous 
Festival, as it must always be. The church was crowded 
to its utmost capacity. And the Holy Communion ser- 
vice was very solemn with a very large number of our 
( >neidas kneeling at the chancel. Oh, it has indeed been 
a glorious Christmas!" 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 285 



Chapter XXII. 
Deep Sorrow at the Mission. 

With all the improvements and work going on at the 
Mission, entertaining and feasting so many men as well 
as teaching and attending to numerous other pressing 
duties, Mrs. Goodnough was, no doubt, overtasking her 
strength. But in her gentle, uncomplaining way, ever 
anxious to do all that was in her power for the good, best 
interest, and pleasure of the Oneidas, she never spared 
herself. And no one about her seemed to have realized 
that her many arduous duties were undermining her 
health and strength. 

The Rev. Mr. Goodnough and his sweet, brave young 
wife gave indeed freely of their time and means, and 
often through much self-denial, since there were but few 
outsiders, in those days, interested enough in the Indians 
to help them in their good work. But the "glorious 
Christmas" of which Ellen Goodnough speaks in her 
diary was the last she spent among them. She continued 
busy, happy, and apparently well and strong through the 
winter, though she found she tired more easily. But the 
one care that weighed most heavily upon her was intense 
anxiety as to the fate of her Indian friends. 

The speculators at Green Bay, with one or two chiefs 
of the minority party, were making great efforts to pass 



run ONBIDAS. 

a bill through Congress which would compel the Presi- 
dent to act in opposition to his own views of the welfare 
el" the Indian-. "If this bill passes," wrote the Mission- 
ary, "the ' )neidas will soon be destroyed." In the spring 
this movement seems to have gained strength, and cast 
a gloom oyer the Mission House. 

But a deeper shadow than any that had been looked for 
was about to darken that happy Christian home. One af- 
ternoon in the pleasant days of May, Ellen Goodnough 
remarked to her husband that she had never felt in bet- 
ter health, or happier than at that moment. She was 
cheerful, contented, and happy in her missionary life. 
But the close of that simple, loving, devoted life was at 
hand. A severe cold taken a few days later, and from 
which she does not seem to have had strength to rally, 
ned an alarming character, and she became danger- 
ously ill. Still she had loving words for those about her, 
and with the beloved husband, children, and friends at 
her bedside, her dearly loved Oneidas shared her last 
thoughts. In the midst of severe suffering she was very 
anxious to finish a letter to a friend in New York urging 
an appeal to some gentleman of influence in behalf of the 
( )neidas. 

Musi her dear people be driven into the wilderness by 
their enemies, the speculators? She spoke also with es- 
affection of the children whom she had been teach- 
ing only a few days earlier. She said with much feeling: 
"I dearly love to teach those children." A few more 
anxious hours and her eyes closed on this world. On the 
30th of May. 1S70, she breathed her last. For her all 
care and toil and anxiety were over forever. "Blessed 
are the dead who die in the Lord. They rest from their 
and their works do follow them." 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 287 

\fter her death an envelope was found addressed to a 
friend at a distance, prepared for the letter she had fin- 
ished writing while suffering. It was in defense of the 
Oneidas, who at that date were included with other tribes 
in the threat of extermination. -This threat," she wrote, 
•was in consequence of the terrible Indian massacres per- 
petrated in revenge, for many abuses, by the heathen 
tribes farther westward. Had there been no abuses on 
the part of our Government and people, there would have 
been no massacre by the Indians. The threat of exter- 
mination was raised in passion by a portion of our peo- 
ple " Those whose memories carry them back to that 
period can recall with shame the cry of extermination of 
a whole race, repeated by many newspapers, and heard, 
alas in some instances under philanthropic roofs. 

The bloody revenge of the barbarous Indians was hor- 
rible But still more horrible would have been the re- 
venge on all Indians by a portion of our vindictive people. 
Of course, the Government never contemplated any 
measure so disgraceful to Christian civilization. But the 
Oneidas, quiet, peaceable, industrious, and in a great 
measure civilized, were included in the outcry against the 
race To defend them against accusations, in their case 
utterly false and unjust, Ellen Goodnough, with warm- 
hearted, generous indignation, wrote her last letter. 

There was a wail of the deepest grief throughout the 
Reservation when one who had been as a mother to the 
people breathed her last. The Oneidas were heart- 
broken. Many gathered about the Mission House dur- 
ing her last hours, praying and weeping day and night. 
From the moment of her death they kept vigil about he 
house, singing mournful chants and hymns from he 
Church service, until the hour of the funeral. When the 



288 THE ONEIDAS. 

simple and most touching- procession moved from the 
house, husband, children and weeping people, the Oneidas 
began a beautiful but most mournful chant, singing in 
their own rich, melodious, and effective voices, such as 
unheard cannot be imagined, until they reached the 
church door. "And truly," says one, "in their deep sor- 
row they sang most touchingly from the heart." 

The service was performed by the Rev. Mr. Steele of 
Green Bay. His sermon was translated for the Oneidas, 
and is said to have given them much comfort. Ellen 
Goodnough was then laid to rest in the quiet Mission 
cemetery beside their little Willie, whose stone bore the 
Indian name, Ka-na-ta-non, his Oneida friends had given 
him, and surrounded by many Christian graves of the 
people she had so faithfully served. 

Strangers who had come from a distance to offer their 
sympathy and respect to the bereaved Missionary, were 
much impressed with the respectable appearance, the 
depth of feeling, the devotional manner, and the very 
touching singing of the Oneidas. Their own loss and 
their sympathy for their beloved "father" was indeed 
great and manifested in many ways. 

Poor Mr. Goodnough for a time was completely 
crushed by this blow, this deep affliction that had come 
so suddenly and unexpectedly upon him. He felt as if a 
right arm had been lopped off, when he lost the sharer 
of all his joys and sorrows, his cares and anxieties for 
the Indians. Hand in hand from the very first they had 
together entered into the Mission work at Oneida. And, 
as we have seen, no small share was assumed by the 
brave, cheerful, and ever willing colaborer. 

At the celebration of the Holy Communion, on the first 
Sunday after this bereavement, the service was deeply 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 289 

impressive. The Missionary could scarcely command 
himself to perform the sacred service. He found it im- 
possible to repeat the sentence of administration. "A 
silence," writes one who was present, "more awful than 
any I have ever known, fell upon the great congregation, 
and continued for many minutes, while the Holy Bread 
and Wine was given into the hands of the devout In- 
dians. The silence was dreadful, yet blessed; we all 
seemed to feel the Lord was present with us. A deep 
sigh from the men, or a heart-broken sob from the 
women were the only sounds we heard. Oh, it was a 
tearful but a blessed hour ! The sympathy, love, and 
reverence for their Minister and his grief, as well as the 
most devout adoration to God were expressed in the faces, 
of the mourning people." 

News had come to the Reservation, and only a week 
earlier, May 24th, that their aged and beloved "father in 
God," Bishop Kemper, had passed away. Many hearts 
felt deep sorrow over this double affliction. Shortly af- 
terwards Bishop Armitage, a graduate of Nashotah, suc- 
ceeded the venerable Bishop in the Diocese of Wisconsin, 
and acquired a share in the confidence and affection of the 
Oneidas. 

On one of his visitations to them, feeling deep sym- 
pathy for the desolate heart and home of their mission- 
ary and his young children, who needed better care than 
he could give them, as well as an assistant for the school, 
Bishop Armitage strongly recommended a friend, Mrs. 
Frances Perry, formerly of Utica, New York, then of 
Madison, Wisconsin. Educated, capable, and from a re- 
fined old Utica family, she was induced to take charge of 
the Mission Home and School at Oneida. 

In time, or about two years later, the acquaintance 



290 THE ONEIDAS. 

with Mr. Goodnough and family resulted, as thought 
best, in marriage, which took place in Madison, Wiscon- 
sin, in 1872. She is still living in California, and keeps 
up a correspondence with the scattered children of Mr. 
Goodnough, one of whom has recently told us that their 
father always showed her great courtesy. In referring 
to that time she has said those eighteen or nineteen 
years spent at the Mission were the happiest years of her 
life because they seemed the most useful, and adds: "Not 
that I did any great work, but I could help some, besides 
my household duties and teaching in school, in little 
things for the Indians. They seemed to appreciate all I 
tried to do for them, and were so kind to me." But we 
have reason to know that no one could quite fill the same 
place in the hearts of them all, as Ellen Saxton Good- 
nough had done. For years they could not speak of her 
without tears. She was so deeply enshrined in their 
hearts, that to this day some of the old people recall with 
grateful love her many deeds of kindness when they were 
a rough and less civilized people. 

Once more people of the diocese, the Oneidas among 
them, were called to mourn their Bishop. Bishop Ar- 
mitage did not live long; only indeed until 1873, when 
he was called up higher. In 1875, the State having in- 
creased greatly in size, a new diocese was formed, that 
of Fond du Lac, from a portion of Wisconsin, including 
Brown County and the Oneida Reservation. In Decem- 
ber of the same year the Rev. John Henry Hobart 
Brown was consecrated Bishop of Fond du Lac. In him 
the Oneidas happily found another wise counselor and 
kind friend. 

While spared to them, Bishop Armitage. and after- 
wards Bishop Brown, encouraged the Oneidas to go on 




The Rt. Rev. W. E. Armitage, D.D. 




The Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown, D.D. 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 291 

with their work of drawing stone for the proposed new 
church. And they soon became again very much inter- 
ested in, and occupied with the work planned some years 
earlier. Their serious troubles with agents and would- 
be traders had not led them wholly to abandon it. As a 
people they had always been much interested in the build- 
ing, which was for them the House of God. They had 
repeatedly given freely of their labors and money, as we 
have seen, for repairs on the wooden church built in 1839. 
And now they were very anxious to build a substantial 
stone church of good architectural design, and large 
enough to accommodate 800 people. 

For years the men had given one day in every week 
to the labor of quarrying and drawing the stone needed 
for the new building, while the women, and even the 
children, brought their small earnings to the Missionary 
to be added to the church fund. The men also raised 
about $200 in money every year to be given to the fund. 
This money was invested at interest in the Savings Bank 
at Green Bay. The church was to be in the early Eng- 
lish style, with low massive walls, heavy buttresses, and 
a steep roof. It was to be 48x68 feet, exclusive of deep> 
chancel and tower entrance. The Rev. Charles Babcock 
had prepared the plan as a gift to the Mission. 

Bishop Brown felt a deep interest in the plan for the 
new church. Sympathy, too, for the brave, self-denying 
Oneidas increased throughout the diocese. In June, 1883, 
the Bishop made an appeal to his people. After some al- 
lusions to the faithful Missionary to the Oneidas and his 
devotion to their welfare for thirty years, the Bishop 
adds : 

"The Oneidas have slowly increased in number. There 
are now about 1,400 in all, of whom about 900 are bap- 



292 THE ONBIDAS. 

tized children of the Church. These steadily improve in 
Christian character and in the arts of civilization, form- 
in- a community much respected for honesty, industry, 
and genera! morality. 

"They are lovers of divine worship, and are reverent, 
lit. and docile. Old and young, men and women, 
throng - the church in such a number they require a build- 
ing hi 'tli commodious and strong. A suitable plan has 
been made for the Church by the Rev. Charles Babcock, 
Professor of Architecture, Cornell University. The case 
of these Oneidas appeals strongly to the hearts of 
Churchmen. I do not doubt their simple faith in their 
1 [eavenly Father's power and their confidence in the love 
and liberality of their white brethren will be vindicated 
and rewarded. 

"J- H. Hobart Brown, 
"Bishop of Fond du Lac." 

In 1884 the Indians had quarried 300 cords of stone 
and drawn it to the site for the church and also, with 
some labor, hewn out and prepared much of the heavy 
foundation and other needed timber. At this date their 
building fund had from one source or another increased 
'.000. A contract was then drawn up with a respon- 
sible firm, who engaged to complete the church for 

378, providing all for it but the stone and sand. 

The contract was signed by Bishop Brown, and Rev. 
Edward Goodnough, their missionary. But alas! only 
one short week later, when all hearts had been rejoicing, 
the savings hank in which the earnings of the Oneidas 
had been deposited failed! Their money had vanished! 
This was indeed a severe blow. But the people are said 
to have borne it with true Christian courage. Thev never 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 293 

faltered, but encouraged each other to continue their ef- 
forts to build the new church for the Lord's service and 
the good of the tribe. The Bishop was greatly grieved at 
this failure after near twelve years of patient, self-deny- 
ing toil. He told the Oneidas that "their faith was now 
being tried, their patience must be perfected, their zeal 
must be proved, their courage tested. And that they 
must continue their good work undertaken in the fear 
and love of their Heavenly Father." 

In this dark hour the Bishop issued another earnest 
appeal to the diocese. Much sympathy was shown to the 
Oneidas in this sore trial. Though the outlook was in- 
deed discouraging, Mr. Goodnough succeeded, with 
the Bishop's help, in interesting many in his cherished 
plan. Assistance came in from various sources until the 
sum of $5,000 was raised, and so the work went on, and 
ere long the foundation was laid. 

"On July 13th, 1886," says Rev. Mr. Merrill, "the cor- 
ner-stone was laid by the Right Rev. John Henry 
Hobart Brown, first Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du 
Lac. So many and bitter had been the disappointments 
of the Indians that it was hard to realize that the long- 
looked-for event was actually to take place, until it was 
known that the Bishop had arrived at Oneida. At half- 
past ten the people assembled at the Mission House, and 
were marshalled by their chief, Cornelius Hill, in four 
divisions, under beautiful banners which had been sent 
for the occasion from the Cathedral. An immense con- 
gregation was present, and a large number received the 
Holy Communion. Immediately after the service in the 
Church the people and clergy walked around the founda- 
tion, singing appropriate psalms. The Bishop having 
laid the corner-stone, made a brief address, commending 



2 9 4 THE ONEIDAS. 

the tribe for the faith and patience with which they had 
labored and waited for this day. He dwelt on the good- 
of God in condescending to have an abode on earth, 
and pointed out the gracious uses of his holy places. 
Chiefly he enjoined the people to remember that their 
-acred temple was a monument of the incarnation of their 
Saviour. 

"All through the summer and autumn the work on the 
Church was pushed on rapidly, the Indians giving their 
labor day after day. As Christmas drew near, their de- 
sire to use the Church for which they had toiled and 
waited for the last sixteen years, became so intense that 
Mr. Goodnough begged Bishop Brown to come and 
dedicate the part finished. At six o'clock on Christmas 
eve the Church was filled. The Benediction service w'as 
said partly at the door and partly at the chancel. The 
I'.i -hop preached the sermon, congratulating the people 
on the -uccess of their sacrifices and toils. On Christ- 
mas morning a large congregation thronged the new 
Church. The Holy Communion was celebrated, nearly 

i lersons receiving. Taken all in all, it was a wonder- 
ful service and scene. The offertory amounted to nearly 
$50. A simple but beautiful token of their love for their 
spiritual father was given by the tribe. One of the Mis- 
sionary's daughters was lately stricken with paralysis and 
lit back to her father's home. After the Christmas 

service a little basket was placed in the Missionary's 
hand. The Bishop opened it and found that it contained 
two bags of money and the inscription, 'Merry Christ- 
mas for Miss Alice.' Tt moved the heart of the Mis- 

iry most deeply and added much to the great joy 
which the blessed feast had brought to him and his be- 

I people. 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 295 

"So long as Hobart Church stands it will be the monu- 
ment of the prayers, labors, and self-sacrifice of this de- 
voted man. Mr. Goodnough was not without the severe 
trials which God allows to perfect the character of his 
servants. There was for a time a strong party under 
the domination of those who sought to remove the 
Oneidas from their reservation. This faction was deter- 
mined that the Church should not be built. The first step 
was to get the Missionary out of the way. For as they said, 
'We can do nothing with the Indians as long as Good- 
nough is here.' And so they resorted to all kinds of petty 
annoyances, and so far succeeded in making a party 
against him, that the little he received from the Church 
and Government was withdrawn. His sole support for 
a number of years came from the faithful Indians alone. 
When as a final calamity the Mission House was burned, 
'Now,' they said, 'they were sure the Missionary would 
have to go !' No, the poor old school-house was left, and 
became a shelter for the Missionary and his family from 
March to August. Crowded indeed were the quarters, 
and scanty and poor the fare. Money in those days was 
not plentiful in the Missionary's home, yet by rigid 
economy he was enabled to add 'his mite' that he had long 
hoarded and laid by for the dear Church. The carpet, 
credence, two chancel windows, and four in the nave 
were his own personal gifts. 

"The sweetness of his Christian character is shown in 
the report made to his Bishop when the new Church 
was built. 'The stone Church has been completed. This 
work has occupied our thoughts and our energies, for the 
half of a generation. We feel deeply thankful to God 
for His gracious goodness to us in permitting us to be- 
hold this solid structure standing here, a witness of His 



296 THE ONBIDAS. 

loving- kindness towards us, His unworthy servants. We 
are truly thankful to our Father in God, who has gently 
led us on, step by step, and has so faithfully taught us to 
work on in patience and peace, leaving results to Him 
who knows how and when to reward His poorest and 
ino-t obscure servants. We heartily thank all those be- 
loved children of our Heavenly Father who have aided us 
with their money and their prayers, without whose aid it 
would likely have been impossible for us to have built 
this house. We have it in our hearts also to thank those 
who have felt it to be their duty to oppose and hinder 
our work of building this Church, because the harder la- 
bor their hindrances imposed upon us, has made it all the 
more dear to us, has awakened a zeal and a trust in and 
for God in our hearts which can never be quenched by 
any services of the evil one.' 

"A little anecdote shows also his wonderful patience 
with those who do not readily change old ideas and cus- 
toms. During the early part of Mr. Goodnough's min- 
istry the services of the Church were read from the Mo- 
hawk Prayer Book. Several years before his death Mr. 
Goodnough suggested to the chiefs and head men in the 
Church that the service be read in English, saying, when 
they were ready, the change would be made. Eighteen 
after, they came to him to say that 'after careful 
consideration they had decided to make this change.' " 

In the meantime he was steadily leading and encourag- 
ing them, though so tenacious of their own language, to 
Irani the English, or allow the services to be read in it. 
These services were so faithfully held by him, that in all 
the 36 years of his ministry among the Oneidas he was 
absent from his place only three Sundays, and then on 
account of sickness, a rare and most remarkable record. 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 297 

He was naturally of a retiring disposition, and was con- 
tent to sequester himself from the world in the pursuit 
of his holy calling. 

One who knew him well says: "In the exercise of his 
duties the Rev. Mr. Goodnough quietly but laboriously 
spent his life. He was a well read man of broad educa- 
tion, cultured and fond of study. After having gradu- 
ated at Nashotah, he filled the chair of Hebrew instructor 
at the College. But not for long, for he was tendered 
and accepted a call to Portage, Wisconsin. His stay there 
was but brief, for on Oct. 16, 1863, at the Bishop's in- 
stigation, he entered upon his duties as Missionary to 
the Oneida Indians, for which he seems to have been 
well fitted. His sterling worth, integrity, and sympa- 
thetic nature greatly endeared him to the people for 
whose spiritual and temporal welfare he so earnestly and 
unceasingly labored." 

But once more a dark cloud was hovering over the 
Mission House. The beloved pastor was suffering. For 
a year or more he had been far from well, and now for 
five weeks he had been confined to his bed. Says one: 
"After many years of faithful, devoted service for the 
welfare of his fellow-men, feeling that his life-work was 
done, and that his days were numbered, he bravely, yea, 
gladly, through the closing weeks of his life, waited pa- 
tiently, yet with a longing for Death's release. He had 
fought the good fight, and welcomed the sweet rest pre- 
pared for those who love God. 'The peace of God which 
passeth understanding' was imparted to the ministering 
loved ones about the bedside of the stalwart Christian, 
his faith becoming their priceless legacy." 

At sunset on Saturday evening of St. Paul's day, 
January 25, 1890, the Rev. Edward Augustus Good- 



298 THE ONEIDAS. 

nough entered into rest. Years of toil and varied joys 
and sorrows had been spent by him among the Oneidas, 
and now once more they were completely overwhelmed 
with grief. As they hovered about the Mission House 
hope for his recovery lessened day by day. The beloved 
Missionary, who like a father had gone in and out among 
them for 36 years, leading a life of humble self-denial, 
yet earnest faith and truth in the Master whom he served, 
was to lay down his armor. 

Like a brave but weary Christian soldier he might 
have said in the words of St. Paul, but with the humility 
that characterized all connected with himself : "The 
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. 
I tenceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous- 
. which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give at 
that day. And not to me only, but unto all them also that 
love His appearing." And from among the many of all 
nations he doubtless will watch to give a welcome to 
those who will prove as "jewels in his crown of re- 
joicing." 

The funeral took place from Hobart Church on Tues- 
day. January 28, 1890. The church was crowded with 
the Indians, many of whom came from a great distance, 
and all bore signs of deep grief difficult to suppress, as 
they were about to part with all that remained of their 
true friend and beloved pastor. The Rev. Mr. Haft, who 
had formerly been with them, and who was still a warm 
friend of the Oneidas, assisted them amid their tears and 
sorrowful chants, to lay him beside the loved ones "gone 
bef n 

And here a little later, out of their own slender means, 
the Indians, as a tribute of love, erected a monument to 



DEEP SORROW AT THE MISSION. 2 > 

his memory. It is of Rutland marble, stands 10 or nearly 
11 feet high, inclusive of the 3-foot-square granite base, 
and is capped by a cross upon which are the letters "I. H. 
S." Upon one side of the monument are the following 
words : 

"Beneath the stone awaiting 

The Resurrection, 

Lies the body of 

Edzvard Augustus Goodnough, 

For thirty -six years 

Pastor and friend of the Oncidas." 

On the opposite side of the monument are the words : 

"This 

Stone of Remembrance 

is erected by 

His grateful children in the Lord 

The Indians of 

Hobart Church, Oneida." 

The dates of birth and death are also given, and at the 
base of the monument, on one side, the words : "/ have 
fought the good fight," and on the other side: "I 
thank my God for every remembrance of thee." And 
here we must leave the brave soldier and servant of God. 
Requiescat in pace. 



3 oo THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XXIII. 
The Rev. Solomon S. Burleson. 

To the Oneidas in April, 1891, came the Rev. Solomon 
S. Burleson, no unworthy successor to the Rev. Edward 
A. (ioodnough. Indeed, as a tribe they seem to have been 
especially favored in those having charge over them. 
Their missionaries, down to and inclusive of the present 
time, we find, have not only proved spiritually minded 
men, having the real welfare of the Indians at heart, but 
have shown themselves, in various ways and in no small 
degree, capable of dealing with and adapting themselves 
to a different and peculiar race of people. 

To do this successfully it has required no small share 
of continuous self-denial in giving up all their early as- 
sociations, social pleasures, and refined intercourse with 
educated men of the world. But if the self-denial of the 
missionaries had been and is still great, their reward 
will surely be all the greater for thus giving themselves 
up to the good work of teaching and leading others out 
into the sunshine of a wider field of enlightenment here, 
and helping to fit them for the more enduring life beyond. 
And on behalf of the Indians, especially of the Oneidas 
and others of the Six Nations, we would add they are 
deserving of all the help and care possible in their strug- 
to reach forth to a more cultivated and Christian life. 

As a nation, these Indians have shown appreciation 
and gratitude often touching. And their love and fidd- 
ly, once secured, has been unbounded. They never 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 301 

forget a kindness shown them, or the wish to do a favor 
in return. And to the Missionary, there surely must 
be some pleasure in watching the development of the 
Indian character, his education and advancement toward 
civilization, better still toward Christianity. Like chil- 
dren they lean upon their pastor for help and wise coun- 
sel. And as he freely gives it, in going in and out 
daily among the dusky tribe, there must at times come 
the blessed, peaceful assurance that "They who turn 
many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever 
and forever." 

Without a thought, however, other than to serve the 
Master to whom they consecrate their lives we find 
among the missionaries to the Oneidas most earnest, self- 
denying men. And such was Rev. Solomon S. Burleson. 
It was fifteen months after his predecessor had passed 
away before he fully entered upon his work at Oneida. 
In the meantime, the Rev. Mr. Goodnough's eldest son, 
Mr. John Goodnough, had remained to see that the school 
was kept up, and to take an active part in caring for the 
temporal welfare of the Indians. 

For the following accounts of the Rev. S. Burleson 
we are indebted to the Rev. F. W. Merrill, as given in 
his "People of the Stone," and also to Bishop Edsall of 
Minnesota, who permits us to make use of his article in 
the "Spirit of Missions," for September, 1904. The lat- 
ter takes us back to the earliest known church events in 
the life of Mr. Burleson. Of him Bishop Edsall says : 

"Fifty years ago a young man in Northern Vermont 
went from home to prepare for entrance to the Univer- 
sity of Vermont. The tutor chosen for him was an 
elderly clergyman of the Church, residing some miles 
away, of whose household he became a member, re- 



3 02 THE ONEIDAS. 

maining for nearly two years. Thus for the first time 
Solomon Stevens Burleson came in contact with the ser- 
vices and teachings of the Church. His previous knowl- 
edge of organized Christianity had been confined to 
Methodism of the old-fashioned revival and 'perfection' 
type, which so repelled him that he had remained unbap- 
tized — not godless, but churchless. Doubtless the influ- 
ence of these months spent amid Church surroundings 
was an important one, though he seemed to leave about 
as he came — still unbaptized. On his departure the 
Clergyman gave him a Prayer Book. This was the first 
in a chain of undreamed-of events. 

"The year 1857 found the young man with his wife and 
infant son residing at Wabasha, Minn., on the shores of 
Lake Pepin. In those days, when the Mississippi was 
still the great highway of the middle West, Wabasha 
was an important point. Mr. Burleson was not only an 
attorney, but also the editor of a paper — one of the 
earliest in the Territory of Minnesota. Nor did he fail 
to recognize the religious needs of the pioneer settle- 
ment, and to render help in meeting them. A Sunday- 
school was an urgent necessity, and when no one else 
was found to undertake it the young lawyer volun- 
teered. I lis only experience had been in the Church 
Sunday-school of the distant Vermont village, and his 
sole manual of instruction was the catechism in the 
Prayer Book, which he counted among his valued pos- 
sessions. And so a Church Sunday-school was begun 
by one outside the Church's fold, who had as yet but 
vague ideas of her claims, and no notion of ever en- 
listing to fight her battles. 

'•In the year 1859 occurred an event full of blessing 
to the Church and the people of the Northwest, when 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 303 

Henry Benjamin Whipple was elected Bishop of Minne- 
sota. Feeling in it the call of the Holy Spirit, this 
noble man and wonderful missionary was soon on his 
way to the field where he was to render such splendid 
service. The pathway to his diocese was along the 
Mississippi, and his first landing, Wabasha. Finding 
that the steamer by which he was travelling must stop 
there some hours for freight and fuel, the Bishop, with 
characteristic energy, sent word that he would hold a 
service. The few Church folk in the town — a handful 
of women — gathered in the little Baptist house of wor- 
ship, and the Bishop in his robes occupied the platform. 
Rows of men sat silent though interested, and a few 
piping voices were waveringly rendering the responses, 
when the young lawyer, with his wife, and carrying his 
prayer book, entered. Finding his place, he immediately 
began, in a full, strong voice, to 'help the women out.' 
The effect upon the Bishop was instantaneous. With a 
quick glance he located the one man who was joining in 
the service, and scarcely was the service concluded before 
he had him by the hand, and was expressing his delight at 
finding a Churchman in the place. 

" 'Bishop,' said the young man, 'you never were more 
mistaken. I'm not a Churchman ; in fact, I suppose I 
am what you would call a heathen, for I'm not even 
baptized.' 

" 'But why are you not?' answered the Bishop. 'You 
repeated the Apostle's Creed.' 

"'Pride, Bishop; mere local pride,' was the reply. 
'We are a frontier town and not very long on morals, 
but I didn't want you to go away from here and say that 
there wasn't a man in town who dared to stand up and 
say that he believed in God the Father Almighty.' 



3 o 4 THE ONBIDAS. 

" 'Young man,' said the Bishop, noting a subdued twin- 
kle in the eye, but a certain seriousness under the seem- 
ingly light remark, 'I think you know your duty, and I 
advise you to do it.' 

"And the duty was done. Within six months Mr. 
Burleson and his little son were baptized, and he and his 
wife confirmed. Within six months more — against the 
advice of many friends, but always with the cordial co- 
operation of his devoted wife, — he had decided to give 
up his promising legal practice and begin his study for 
I [oly Orders. And in the first class of Seabury Divinity 
school appeared the name of Solomon Stevens Burleson. 

"The limits of an article such as this forbid even an 
outline of the work of those 33 years during which this 
dauntless man lived and labored for Christ and his 
Church. It was a typical missionary life. A builder of 
churches and rectories, now architect, carpenter, or stone- 
mason, now acting as lawyer and again as physician, with 
a pair of faithful little ponies, whose years of service so 
nearly equalled his own, he traversed the prairies of 
Minnesota and the hills and valleys of Wisconsin, always 
a great-hearted and helpful man among men, and a 
seeker of souls for Christ. 

"It was heroism of the best, but seemingly the unre- 
quited sort. But the heroism was not that of the man 
alone. With a stipend of never more than $800, with 
eight children to feed and clothe and educate, and the 
tram to keep, there was hardship in the household. How 
it was ever done, only the mother — and perhaps not even 
she— can tell. But New England 'faculty,' wedded to 
suprere : Christian self-sacrifice, accomplished the impos- 
sible. It was a home lacking many comforts and boast- 
ing no luxuries; and the children, who scarcely missed 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 305 

the comforts and would not have understood the lux- 
uries, early learned to bear one another's burdens and to 
work with their hands the things that were good. 

"Under these surroundings the five sons grew to man- 
hood. Each passed through college depending largely 
on his own efforts and such aid as his elder brothers 
could render. For financial aid was impossible from 
the missionary father's pittance. And thus one by one 
the sons heard the call to take up the Cross and follow 
the teachings and command of their Saviour to go forth 
to preach the Gospel to those in need." 

Of the first coming of his predecessor to the Oneidas 
the Rev. Mr. Merrill says : 

"The Rev. Solomon S. Burleson took charge of the 
work at Oneida in April, 1891. Mr. Burleson, having 
made several visits to the Reservation before accepting 
the position as Missionary, saw many things to be done. 
He therefore went to Washington and presented the 
needs of the people to the Commissioner of Indian Af- 
fairs, and it was through his representation that the Gov- 
ernment boarding school was established, and the bridge 
built over Duck Creek. The Mission grounds also were 
made attractive, and the house remodeled without and 
within, the necessary funds being furnished by the 
Bishop of the Diocese. 

"The great need of a resident physician was sadly evi- 
dent at the time of Mr. Burleson's coming. But having 
studied medicine, previous to taking Holy Orders, he was 
enabled with the help of a small grant by the Government 
for a supply of medicine, to give medical attendance to 
those who needed care. He was also the dentist, and 
his knowledge of law fitted him to give advice to his 
people upon all matters of a legal nature. He was a man 



306 THE ON EI DAS. 

i if resolute will, and quick to see and carry out any plans 
for the advancement of the mission work. In the first 
year of his residence he had repeated calls to attend sick 
people, and during the cold winter months he traveled 
miles over rough roads to visit those who were lying 
ill. many of them in homes unfitted for their recovery." 

We wonder if our readers can imagine what it must be 
to pay visits as both doctor and missionary and for miles 
distant, in a country where the thermometer frequently 
registers twenty below zero, and when the snow some- 
times lies on a level with the tops of the fences. 

The following extracts from the Rev. Mr. Burleson's 
letters give an account of some of his labors : 

"From Christmas to Epiphany I slept in a bed only six 
times, the rest of the nights were spent by the side of 
sick-beds. Pity it is that my 60 years are beginning to 
unfit me in some ways for the work which I would will- 
ingly do. The hard part is that I cannot trust any of 
them to do the nursing, but must tend to it myself. 
Churchmen. Methodists, and Romanists, I attend alike. 
Si line of them manifest gratitude, some do not. Perhaps 
it matters little, but when one gives all that is in him to 
help another's sufferings, a little gratitude goes a great 
ways. . . . And yet, there comes to me the memory of the 
words of a brave, faithful little woman, who, after a 
fearful operation, laid her hand upon my shoulder and 
said. 'Dear father, do you think the good Father in 
Heaven will let me live?' When I told her that I 
trusted lie would, she said: 'Then you will thank Him 
in my house, and tell Him when I am well enough, I go 
thank Him in HIS.' 

"( >r again, another incident, when just after Christ- 
1 was attending Z. X., who was suffering from con- 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 307 

gestion of the lungs and erysipelas. The fact that he had 
been in a saloon fight only makes it all the more certain 
that it was Z. I had taken care of him all night, and just 
as it was getting daylight, he passed his hand under his 
pillow, and drew out a Prayer Book, which he held sug- 
gestively. I asked him if he would like me to have 
prayers with him. Conceive of my surprise to receiv- 
ing in answer an emphatic 'You bet !' After my prayers 
he looked up and said : 'Your medicine, that is good ; 
but your prayer, that is better.' 

"The thermometer registered 20 degrees below zero 
this morning when I was called to go and see a child sick 
with pneumonia. It is a desperate case. Eight in the 
family, one room, cooking, washing, etc., done there, 
doors and walls reeking with moisture, ice on the bottom 
of the window-panes an inch thick, the air of the room 
suffocating, partly from the foulness, partly from vapor, 
and a case of pneumonia which they expected that 'the 
doctor' was going to cure at once. This is a sample 
case of many, and you will not wonder that I sigh from 
the depth of my heart for a decent place where the 
suffering can have a fair chance for life. I am well 
aware that Hospitals cannot be erected and sustained 
without money, a commodity which missionaries never 
have in excess, but if any one desires to enjoy an honest 
heart-ache, I can furnish him an opportunity in the 
homes of these poor Indians at any time when it is too 
cold for them to sleep out of doors." 

"It was out of such a need as this that the Oneida Hos- 
pital grew. The experiences of the winter when this 
letter was written made plain the need of it, and so the 
Missionary's youngest daughter laid away 36 cents, with 
which to start a building fund. In a little over a year 



308 THE ONBIDAS. 

God sent to the Missionary more than $1500, and when 
the cornerstone of the Hospital was laid on St. John Bap- 
tist's Day, June 24, 1893, among other things placed in 
it, was a sealed envelope containing that first 36 cents." 

It was during their stay at Oneida that their eldest 
daughter was married and we can well imagine what a 
stir it must have created among the Indians of the Reser- 
vation, old and young. And how pleased they were to 
have some part in helping to give the bride a pleasant 
send-off. One in writing of it at the time, says : 

"The morning train brought friends from Green Bay 
and Fond du Lac. The service was to be at 11 o'clock, 
but long before that hour the Church was surrounded by 
waiting Indians. They are always ready for a Church 
service. The bride, Miss Martha Burleson, is the daugh- 
ter of the Missionary at Oneida, the groom being Dr. 
Wintermute of Pewaukee. By the time the bridal party 
arrived every seat seemed taken. The handsome new 
chancel was decorated with flowers and palms. This 
has been built the full width of the Church and its side 
windows fill it with a glory of light. The three arches 
originally left in the east wall divide it from the nave, 
and the Church now measures about one hundred and 
forty feet in length. 

"As the bridal party entered the church a wedding- 
march was played. The Rev. Hugh L. Burleson re- 
ceived the betrothed at the entrance to the chancel. The 
Rev. John K. Burleson was best man, Miss Abbie Burle- 
son was bridesmaid, Miss Mary Burleson maid of honor 
and the Rev. S. S. Burleson gave away the bride. At 
the conclusion of the betrothal the whole congregation 
sang a hymn and Father Burleson having put on his sur- 
plice and stole performed the marriage-service at the 
sanctuary rail. This was followed immediately by the 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 309 

Holy Eucharist, the Rev. Hugh L. Burleson being cele- 
brant, the Rev. S. S. Burleson, Deacon, and the Rev. B. 
T. Rogers, Sub-deacon. 

"At the conclusion of the service the bridal party re- 
ceived the congratulations of their Indian friends in the 
Guild Hall where a bountiful repast had been prepared. 
The family and a few invited guests then repaired to the 
rectory, where the wedding breakfast was served under 
the direction of Mr. L. A. Fisher, of Green Bay. During 
the day the Indian band, which plays well, was much in 
evidence and added greatly to the occasion. 

"For cordial friendship and beautiful services we com- 
mend the Oneidas and their handsome Church." 

In referring to the wide and beautiful chancel just 
mentioned, the Rev. Mr. Merrill tells us: 

"In the spring of 1895 the work of adding the new 
chancel to the Church was begun, and Mr. Burleson was 
untiring in his efforts to further the plans and aid the 
work, on one occasion sitting up all night to keep a fire 
that the wet plastering might not freeze. The work was 
finished in 1896, and the chancel was used for the first 
time on the Feast of the Annunciation. A new and dig- 
nified Altar was given, and lastly there was presented a 
beautiful Communion Service of silver, and the inscrip- 
tion on the under side of the paten gives the name of 
Oneida's generous benefactor. 'The Chancel, Altar, 
Credence, Chalice and Paten are given to Hobart Church 
to the glory of God and in reverent memory of Joanna 
Caroline Lewes, who for a period of 40 years was a 
contributor to the Mission— Si Dcus pro nobis quis contra 

nos.' 

-Great and noble was the work of Mr. Burleson, yet he 
worked not alone, for every member of the Mission 
household was both an efficient and untiring laborer. 



3 io THE ONEIDAS. 

There was the devoted wife, Ya-gon-donl, "she who is 
good to the poor." as the Indian women called her, and 
[other, giving her time faithfullly and thor- 
oughly to the work of carrying on this part of Christi 
service by wise counsel and helpful hands. Of their chil- 
dren there were five sons, all now in Holy Orders. One 
was the regular assistant to his father, and the other 
much time and work at the Mission. The three 
daughters, one teaching the Mission School and the other 
. ->ting both father and mother, truly a won- 
derful Missionary far. 

r six years Mr. Burleson was priest, physician and 

adviser of the Oneida Nation. In the latter years his 

health failed and for two years he suffered intensely from 

the inroads of disease, but with incredible determination 

he would go miles over rough and dangerous roads, 

where every jolt meant acute agony, to visit some sick 

ho could not have a physician. He went regu- 

to his Church duties notwithstanding his illness, and 

putting all thought of his own misery aside, he went forth 

bravely to heal the anguish of others. Another man of 

•. oble character would have sunk under the strain on 

mind and body, but Mr. Burleson never faltered in the 

line of duty. On the 19th of December, 1896. he was 

unable to leave his bed, but on Christmas Day. with 

the last display of that indomitable resolution which was 

he was carried to the Church and celebrated the Holy 

Communion and gave the Sacrament with his own hands 

the last time. 

February 22. 1897. he entered peacefully into life 

eternal. His funeral was held on the 26th. It was a 

sed Christian burial with no trappings of woe, and 

.:rief. save the tears of his red chil- 

hey followed his body to the grave, chanting their 



THE RB I '- URLBSOj ' 

- - - - 

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rr.er :;:r.t :' \:.t -. 

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_:" the -- rdh E God, and f « 

.-.:. i 7- .--'■ - -'-- -- . - . - 

missionary to 
. :ered mtc 

r. the I:::t:t : Fc'd da La« 
r-':rv...-. --' "d-.t - ■: 

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.- - - 

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here he 

be ■ - - • • - 

rihis body to the gi 

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ihin the veil, and on the 26th of 

rn *" to rc 

spot chosen by nnn, 
. a this spot has been 

Pr.. 

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3 i2 THE OX BID AS. 

When Guy Burleson, the fifth and youngest son of Mr. 
and Mrs. Burleson, expressed the desire to study for the 
mini -try it was but natural that the parents should look 
fi award to seeing him, as they had seen the four elder 
brothers, ordained priest. But this great privilege was 
permitted to the mother only. Says Bishop Edsall : "On 
the morning of St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1904, 
there occurred in St. Paul's Church, Grand Forks, in the 
Missionary District of North Dakota, an ordination which 
I believe to be unique in the history of the American 
Church and perhaps of the entire Anglican Communion. 
The candidate, who was made priest, was the fifth son of 
a priest who gave a long and useful life to our western 
mission work, and the remaining four sons, all of them 
priests laboring in missionary districts, were present at 
the service. 

"It was at a time like this that our missionary priest, 
Rev. S. S. Burleson, had hoped to say his Nunc Dimittis. 
He had thought to stand in the Church with his five sons 
all ministers of Christ's Holy Church. But the last years 
of his ministry were peculiarly arduous ones, and even 
his strong body and brave soul could not win through 
the task. 

"Although the father had lived to know that the 
youngest of his sons was called to Holy Orders, and that 
of those whom God had given him he had rendered back 
in the fullest measure, his heart's desire to see him or- 
dained priest was not granted. Yet who shall say that 
on such a day, among 'the cloud of witnesses' which en- 
camps about the spirits of 'just men made perfect' they 
do not rejoice in the fulfillment of their life long hopes?" 

"I esteemed it a great privilege," adds Bishop Edsall, 
"to be present at the ordination of Guy Burleson at Grand 






#* '- 



$ 




The Rev. Solomon S. Burleson, Missionary i.sr 



1891-1897 




THE BURLESON BROTHERS PRIESTS 
J"lm K. Bui Edward \V. Burleson 

Allan L. Burleson Hugh L. Burleson 

Guy Burleson 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 313 

Forks on St. Bartholomew's Day. The best thing I did 
for North Dakota during my three years Episcopate was 
securing the three Burlesons who came to my aid. 
Hugh, as Dean of the Fargo Cathedral, president of the 
Standing Committee and in other confidential capacities, 
was my right hand man. While John, as rector at Grand 
Forks, and 'Edward the Baptist,' as affectionately dubbed 
because of his wonderful work in scouring the prairies 
and bringing souls to Holy Baptism, were an inspiration 
in the work. 

"On the evening preceding the ordination a service was 
conducted by the brothers of the Burleson family at which 
I preached to a large congregation who were present. 
On the following day, St. Bartholomew's day, services 
was held at 7.30 and 9.30, and the ordination at 10.30 
A. M. Bishop Mann was the celebrant. The candidate 
was presented by his brother Hugh, Dean of Fargo and 
the rector at Grand Forks. The sermon was preached 
by the eldest brother, Allen, who was my classmate and 
room-mate at Racine College, and is now, as rector at 
Santa Rosa, ably carrying on the family traditions in the 
District of Sacramento. The Rev. E. W. Burleson, of 
Jamestown, N. D., read the Litany. Among others of 
the clergy present were the Rev. Messrs. Currie, Green, 
and Morehouse. 

"I congratulate my dear successor, Bishop Mann, on 
this latest accession to his staff ; and also the noble mother 
of these five sons, who lives to rejoice in their work. 
While if the blessed dead are permitted to know of the 
struggles and triumphs of the Church Militant, there is a 
saint in Paradise who rejoices to-day in the fruition of his 
fondest hopes. 

"When before has a mother, surrounded by her 8 



3 i4 THE ON EI DAS. 

children, 3 daughters and 5 sons, seen the youngest son 
ordained to join his 4 brothers in the ranks of the sacred 
ministry? 

"The offerings of the day, amounting to over $40, were 
taken as a thank-offering in memory of the father, the 
late Solomon S. Burleson, and were devoted to aid the 
hospital work of Bishop Rowe in Alaska — a most appro- 
priate designation in view of Father Burleson's labors 
in ministering to the sick among the Oneida Indians. 

"But i^w words can well be added to this wonderful 
record of father and sons all consecrating themselves to 
the Master's service. And not where honors might be 
received, but amid trying scenes, hardships and self-de- 
nials such as few can realize or fully understand. 

"And not least from among them is the brave mother, 
who through untold toil and patient endurance helped to 
bring up the beloved sons for the ministry, and with her 
three (laughters has lived to see them one by one receive 
the laving on of hands, to go forth priests of God and 
follow in the footsteps of their venerated and sainted 
father." 

It was the Rev. John K. Burleson, the second son, who 
had been his father's assistant a year before his death, 
and who, with fdial devotion had helped watch over his 
lays and lighten the cares of the worn Missionary. 
\fter his death the son was almost immediately called to 
San Antonio, Texas ; to assist his brother Allen, then ill 
from nervous prostration, and unable to be at their 
father's bedside. 

The Indians had become very fond of "Mr. John," as 

they called him, and they begged him, with tears in their 

we have been told, to return to them soon, and 

ed them all to stay there. The Oneidas were warmly 




The Burleson Monument 



THE REV. SOLOMON S. BURLESON. 315 

attached to each member of the family ; all of whom had 
been very kind and helpful to them. But the sons re- 
ceived calls elsewhere, and it was thought best for them 
to leave the Reservation. 

In a recent letter received from Mrs. Burleson, she 
says, in referring to Oneida and the past: "They were 
very kind and lovely to us all. And from them we 
learned many a lesson of trusting faith during the six 
years of our stay at Oneida. Those were years of cares, 
anxieties, and much hard work, but we did our work as 
faithfully as we knew how, and the Great Day only 
can tell how far we failed or succeeded in doing our 
duty." 



3 i6 THE ON EI DAS. 



Chapter XXIV. 
The Rev. F. IV. Merrill. 

On the first of May, 1897, the Rev. F. W. Merrill, 
succeeded the Rev. Solomon S. Burleson as Missionary 
to the Oneidas. His former experiences in the mission 
fields of Honolulu and Australia, and also as General 
.Missionary for a time under Bishop Grafton of the Dio- 
cese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in a great measure 
fitted him to assume charge of the oldest Indian Mission 
1 if the Church. 

I [e was born at Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1857, but 
when only a year old, was taken by his parents to their 
future home in Concord, N. H. His early education was 
well attended to, and later, after graduating from the 
Public Schools of that city, he was a student at Cheshire 
Academy, Cheshire, Conn. He felt a desire to study for 
the ministry, and became, like two of his Oneida prede- 
>rs, a student and later a graduate, of Nashotah. The 
severe winter climate of Wisconsin brought on a serious 
throat difficulty and he was advised to seek a warm 
climate. Early in the year 1878 he accepted an appoint- 
ment from the Bishop of Honolulu as Head Master of 
:i College, a boarding school for Hawaiian boys. On 
the first Sunday in Advent, 1880, he was ordained deacon 
by the Lord Bishop of Honolulu, in the Cathedral in the 
city of I [om tlulu. 

In the year 1881, while at Honolulu, the Rev. F. W. 




The Rev. K. W. Merrill, for ten years Missionary to the Oneidas 



THE REV. F. W. MERRILL. 317 

Merrill married Miss Harriet Eleanor Barnard. After 
having spent five years in missionary work among the 
Hawaiians in the Sandwich Islands he removed with his 
family to Australia, and while there was ordained priest, 
June 11, 1884, by the Lord Bishop of Adelaide, South 
Australia. His time during the following four or five years 
was mostly spent in itinerary mission work. His health 
giving out, he returned to America in 1887, and received 
an appointment as rector of St. Luke's Church, Chelsea, 
Massachusetts. On the consecration of Bishop Grafton, 
St. Mark's Day, 1889, the Rev. Mr. Merrill went West 
with him as Chaplain and Missionary at large until ap- 
pointed to the Oneidas, when with his family — wife, 
daughter and two sons — he entered upon the work there. 

He was received with the usual cordiality shown by the 
Indians to all connected with the Church and Mission. 
Upon the arrival of Mrs. Merrill, who had lingered at 
Sheboygan to visit a sister, some of the most prominent 
Indians tendered the family a reception, at which from 
150 to 200 persons were present. It was held in the 
Guild Hall. The Indian band furnished the music; ad- 
dresses were made by several Indians ; and refreshments 
were served. Could white people have shown truer cour- 
tesy to their new rector ? 

There was work awaiting the new Missionary that re- 
quired immediate attention. There were the sick to visit, 
infants to be baptized, and a class formed for confirmation 
and taught against the next visitation of their Bishop, at 
which time, Ascension Day, a class of 91 was confirmed. 
Later, on the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, an addi- 
tional class of 30 was presented to Bishop Grafton, mak- 
ing in all 121 confirmed within the year. 

Of those confirmed we are assured they well under- 



3 i8 THE ON EI DAS. 

stood and have lived up to their vows, and have proved 
themselves steady and devout members of the Church, 
even more strictly so, in many instances, than some of 
their white neighbors. The Indians, indeed, at all times 
have shown great reverence and love for their Church as 
the House of God. Some come many miles on foot, 
others in conveyances to attend the services. Bad 
weather and poor roads after the heavy spring rains do 
not deter them. And though many of the Indians are 
poor, scarcely earning more than sufficient for their own 
necessities, they readily practice self-denial and give all 
they can to their beloved Church. 

Very recently, in a letter received from their mission- 
ary, the Rev. Mr. Merrill, he thus writes of their late 
Easter service : 

"We had a happy Easter, but the rain and terrible roads 
gave us a smaller congregation than usual, still 250 per- 
sons made their communion on that festival and of course 
there were many more than that number at Church. The 
music was very fine, especially the Indian hymns, which 
the people so much enjoy. At the beginning of Lent I 
gave out a number of mite-boxes and on Easter day and 
the following Sunday every one was returned with an 
offering. It amounted to $72.50 for General Missions. 
I am sure that not many of our white congregations could 
make a better report of Lenten self-denial although they 
may have given a much larger offering. 

"It is remarkable how the people get to church over 
these terrible roads. One man told me that in bringing a 
large wagon full of people for nearly eight miles, he had 
ait for another team to catch up with him, and then 
they had the four horses on to pull his wagon out of the 
mud. Another man said that he had to put fence-rails 



THE REV. F. IV. MERRILL. 319 

under his horse to get him out of the bog. I am sure 
many others must have had a like experience." 

Just think of attending church under such circum- 
stances and from a distance of 6 and 8 miles. But this 
was no unusual thing. The church is often crowded, 
especially on the high Festivals. The Indians are indeed 
most faithful in their attendance at church at all seasons, 
and from distant parts of the Reservation, often wading 
in winter time, through the deep snow and with the mer- 
cury very low. It surely is a lesson to the many who let 
the most trivial excuse keep them from attendance at 
their churches and with every facility to reach them. And 
may we not ask, are not such Indians worthy to have all 
the help and encouragement possible given them to sup- 
port their church and the various industries going on at 
their Reservation? 

The Oneidas are exceedingly fond of music, and have 
fine voices. The Rev. Mr. Eleazer Williams was a good 
musician, and when with them helped to train their voices 
and form a taste for sacred music, by translating many 
of our hymns into the Oneida language. This love for 
sacred music has been handed down among the Indians to 
the present time. 

A regular vested choir, however, was not formed until 
the Rev. Mr. Merrill took the matter in hand. During 
his first summer at the Reservation in 1897, assisted by 
his daughter, a pupil of Grafton Hall, Fond du Lac, they 
succeeded, through patience and labor, in training those 
capable of taking part in such a choir. And so well, we 
hear, that when the Harvest Festival was to be celebrated, 
the choir was sufficiently prepared to take part in it. The 
Bishop of the diocese presented them with 30 cassocks, 
and the Indian women made their cottas. 



3 20 THE ONEIDAS. 

"The chancel was beautifully decorated," we are told, 
"with the fruits of the earth and the richly colored au- 
tumn leaves. And on Sunday morning, the fifteenth after 
Trinity, this vested choir, numbering 40 voices of men 
and boys, entered the west door of the Church singing the 
harvest hymn, 'Come ye Thankful People, Come.' The 
service consisted of a full choral celebration of the Holy 
Communion, the entire music of which was given in a 
reverent and creditable manner by the Indians." Says 
their Missionary: "With the vested choir we have also a 
supplementary one of women and girls and the cornetists 
of the band give valuable assistance. 

"The training of the choir is accompanied with great 
difficulties, for attending a choir practice on this Reserva- 
tion is not a matter of taking a trolley-car or walking a 
few blocks on a good pavement under electric lights. It 
means, for the most of our choristers, a long tramp or 
drive from 3 to 8 miles over roads which are sufficiently 
difficult by broad daylight; and yet there are few ab- 
sences from our rehearsals, and even dark and stormy 
nights are no hindrance to their ambition or their willing- 
to give time and labor to perfect themselves in music. 
The Oneidas are a musical people, and their love of music 
and their spirit of devotion combined, have made them 
bravely conquer obstacles which at first seemed insur- 
mountable, so that now our music has attained a recog- 
nized excellence. It is certainly seemly and devout. 

"Our big, deep-chested men sing from their hearts, and 
make their singing a part of their worship. It is their 
gift to God, given with all their might. The choral 
Eucharist is sung most reverently. There is no giggling, 
whispering, and inattention, as in choirs of enlightened 
white people. The Indian hymns are magnificent and are 




The Church Choir 




The Oneida National Band 




Di nnlson Wheelock, Indian Graduate of Carlisle, and Band Master 



THE REV. F. W. MERRILL. 321 

often rendered, without organ accompaniment, as the 
richness and harmonies of the voices would be marred by 
the most skilful playing. In these familiar hymns the 
entire congregation joins, taking up the strains which to 
the visitors, sound so smooth, and resonant. The most 
striking effect is produced by the voices of the women, 
singing apparently a tenor to the tenor, their high over- 
notes being so unusual, and sometimes in funeral hymns, 
altogether weird, so that in Indian harmony we can cer- 
tainly look for the unexpected. 

"One solemn delight to both Indians and whites is their 
own Te Deum, stately, dignified, with three Alleluias after 
each verse ; as it takes three times as long to say or sing 
anything in Oneidas as in English, only a few verses can 
be sung, these being chanted by one voice, the choir and 
congregation taking up the Alleluia. Twice a year only 
is this old Te Deum heard; at Christmas and when the 
Bishop makes his visitation." 

During this same month of October great preparations 
were being made for one of these welcome events. 
Bishop Grafton, several of the clergy, and a number of 
friends were to be with them for the consecration of 
their church and it was with great delight the Indians 
went forth to meet them. Mr. Burleson had superin- 
tended the extension and enlargement of the chancel,, 
which at the same time gave more seating to the main 
part of the church. 

The building, a monument of the most rare self-denial 
for years, was now complete. It bore witness of faith 
and love toward the Supreme Being whose earthly house 
they had built, a labor which, with their many trials and 
great loss of funds, had been both pathetic and heroic. 
But their patience and self-denial never failed or faltered. 



3 22 THE OXBIDAS. 

And now they were about to welcome their Bishop for a 
solemn and sacred consecration service. It was with 
deep and heart-felt joy the Indians prepared for this 
great event, the crowning glory to be given to their labor 
of love. 

We will give their Missionary's account of this pleasing 
event. As he expresses it, "He felt it a privilege to see 
the completion of the work so dear to his noble hearted 
predecessors," and adds: "The consecration was the fruit 
of years. It was the crowning act of labor begun long 
ay j in what was then a wilderness. Oneida is historic 
ground and has been justly called 'The cradle of the 
Church in the North West.' 

"Twelve years before Bishop Kemper came to Wiscon- 
sin, and 18 years before Nashotah was thought of, 
Christian Indians, under an ordained deacon, — supposed 
at the time to be of their own blood, — a translator of 
the ancient Liturgy and Prayer Book, was using it in 
the log Church of their own construction. Later a frame 
building took the place of the log Church. And to this 
Church of the Oneidas long afterwards — but still 50 
in the past — Adams and Breck walked from Nas- 
hi »tah t> 1 be made priests by the Apostolic Kemper. 

"The log Church, and the frame building which took 
its place, have now disappeared. The large stone struc- 
ture, the lesult of many years of patient self-denial was 
at last set apart to the perpetual service of Almighty God. 
The preparations for the consecration showed that the 
spirit of self-sacrifice and zeal for the honor of God's 
House still remained among the Oneidas. 'My house 
first, and then God's' is not an Oneida motto, and their 
stately, well-appointed Church building is just the reverse 



THE REV. F. IV. MERRILL. 323 

of what is too often seen in comparatively wealthy par- 
ishes. On the 27th day of October, 1897, the Church was 
ready for consecration. The walls and ledges were out- 
lined with green garlands. In each window was placed 
a miniature tree. The floor was covered with cedar 
twigs ; it gave the effect of a mossy carpet, and filled the 
Church with the fragrance of nature's incense. The new 
choir seats were made of oak. The Reredos and hand- 
some Credence were memorial gifts from the people, the 
Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese, for the Rev. Solomon 
S. Burleson. 

"On the Altar stands a simple Cross. It is of wood 
only, rather unimposing in its size and design, and at 
first glance looks out of keeping with its surroundings ; 
but, on account of its associations, it will never be re- 
placed by another. It is the old Altar Cross of St. 
George's in East London. During the stormy scenes of 
the riots there many years ago, it was torn from its place 
by the mob, and rescued from the street by Mr. Paget, 
and given by his wife to Bishop Brown, with the hope ex- 
pressed that it might find some quiet resting place, and so- 
it came to Oneida. 

"The consecrator of the Church was the present Bishop 
of Fond du Lac, the Rt. Rev. Charles C. Grafton. On 
his arrival at the Church, he was received by the Wardens 
and Vestry. The scene in and around the Church, as the 
Bishop knocked for admittance, was most impressive. 
The large vested choir, headed by the Bishop and Clergy, 
proceeded up the aisle repeating the 24th Psalm. Such a. 
congregation is rarely seen in an American Church. 
Here were gathered fully one thousand Indians, all dutiful 
and tractable and devoted to the Church with a childlike 



324 THE ONBIDAS. 

faith. After the Rite of Consecration, there was a sol- 
emn procession of the choir, the Clergy and Bishop 
an .und the whole interior of the Church, singing hymns 
in the Indian language. The Bishop was Celebrant and 
Preacher. 1 lis sermon was beautiful in its simplicity, the 
subject being 'The Church — Man's meeting-place vith 
God.' 

"The most impressive musical feature of the service 
was the singing of the Te Deum in the Oneida language 
at the close, as an act of thanksgiving. It was sung, as 
has always been customary, as a solo by the leader of the 
choir, and between the verses the entire congregation 
joined in a three-fold Alleluia. After the service the 
Bishop, sitting in his chair before the chancel, received 
the tribe. Hundreds passed him in little less than an 
hour. Young men and women, mothers with babes in 
their arms, tottering old age and toddling infants, all 
stopping a moment to clasp the Bishop's hand and for a 
word of blessing. Such were the ceremonies attending 
the completion of Hobart Church, or as it was called in 
the sentence of consecration, 'The Church of the Holy 
Apostles.' 

"How Williams and Cadle, Davis, Goodnough, and 
Burleson would have rejoiced to see the seed they planted 
and watered with their tears, now a noble tree for the 
shelter of God's children. One might ask why build so 
large a Church in this far-away part of the Mission field? 
The answer is that the Church is none too large for the 
congregation. On Festivals it is filled to its utmost ca- 
pacity, and there is a large congregation on all ordinary 
Sundays. When we remember that in order to go to 
Church, the Indians have not to walk a few blocks, or 




The Rt. Rev. C. C. Grafton, D.D., Bishop of Fond du Lac 



THE RBV. F. W. MERRILL. 325 

ride in the cars as city folk do, but come from many miles 
and often on foot, the large, regular attendance speaks 
well for their Christian principles. 

"Among the 1,200 who belong to the Church, there 
are 400 communicants, and all on the Reservation are 
baptized. They form an excellent body of Churchmen 
as loyal to their Church, and as faithful in their Christian 
lives, as any congregation in the land." 



3 2r, 



THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XXV. 
Onan-gwat-go. 

A prominent figure among the Oneidas is the Rev. Cor- 
nelius Hill. A few rods from his present comfortable 
frame building stood the log house in which he was born 
Nov. 13, 1834. He has been described as a bright, black- 
eyed boy endowed with all the virtues of his own race 
and destined to engraft into his character many of those 
of the white man. 

When he was about ten years old there came to Oneida, 
for ordination to the priesthood, the founders of Nas- 
hotah House, the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, and the Rev. 
William Adams. On their return to Nashotah they were 
accompanied by three Indian lads ; among them Cornelius 
Hill. For five years he remained there acquiring a mas- 
tery of the English language and what was to prove the 
foundation of a priestly life. At the age of 13, while at 
Nashotah, he was sent for to be honored by his clan, the 
Bear, a-- Chief. A national feast was given in his honor, 
after the previous impressive ceremony, at which all the 
Oneida clans, the Hear, Wolf, and Turtle, were present. 
This was considered a fair omen for his future life. 

Tt has now run to more than three score and ten, during 
which time he has kept the love and esteem of his people. 
( >nan-gwat-go, "Great Medicine," the name given him at 
that time, was the youngest and last chosen chief of a 
noble line of ancestors. Various honors from time to 
time have been conferred upon him. For a number of 



ON AX -C WAT-GO. 2> 2 7 

years he was made treasurer of the annuities paid by the 
United States Government. He was chosen with one 
other to take the census of the tribe, which in 1856 num- 
bered 1,000. The last census gives the population of 
Oneida as a little over 2,000. Chief Hill was chosen 
Sachem of the Tribe, and held the office for sev- 
eral years. He was early chosen a delegate to our Church 
Councils, and he has loyally upheld her missionaries since 
the time of Bishop Kemper. 

His heart has centered in the Church where for more 
than thirty years he has acted as interpreter, and very 
few are the Sundays during that long period on which 
he has failed to stand by the Missionary to interpret to 
his people the Word of God. He also for nearly thirty 
years served with credit as organist at the church. 

Y\ nen about eighteen years of age he began to go with 
the chiefs to Council and received honor from them. 
When he was a very young man there was some opposi- 
tion to an earnest Missionary who was opposing the sale 
of their lands and the removal of their tribe. Lawless 
Indians instigated by Government agents made menacing 
speeches advocating the removal of their Missionary, the 
Rev. Edward A. Goodnough. Chief Hill quietly said, 
"Well if you do get rid of the Missionary, it will be over 
my dead body." It was by his brave support that the 
Missionary was protected, and it is due to both, that the 
Oneidas remained unmolested in their peaceful homes 
to-day. 

In order to show that the Oneidas have not purchased 
this peace without a struggle, we quote from an article 
written many years ago by Chief Hill, when an attempt 
was made to remove the Indians farther W T est, and much 
pressure was brought to bear upon all the chiefs to sell 



3 2S THE ONBIDAS. 

their lands. He describes the life and manners of his 
people in the past and shows their steady advancement in 
the paths of civilization, and then very justly says: 

"The whites are not willing to give us time to become 
civilized, but we must remove to some barbarous coun- 
try as soon as civilization approaches us. The whites 
claim to be civilized, and from them we must learn the 
arts and customs of civilized life. The civilization at 
which I and the greater part of my people aim, is one of 
truth and honor; one that will raise us to a higher state 
of existence here on earth and fit us for a blessed one in 
the next world. For this civilization we intend to strive 
— right here where we are — being sure that we shall 
find it no sooner in the wilds beyond the Mississippi. 
'Progress' is our motto, and you who labor to deprive us 
of this small spot of God's footstool, will labor in vain. 
We will not sign your treaty ; no amount of money can 
tempt us to sell our people. You say our answer must 
be given to-day. You can't be troubled any longer with 
these Council Meetings. You shall have your wish. It 
is one that you will hear every time you seek to drive us 
from our lands — No !" 

Many years afterwards in fulfilment of his earnest de- 
sire. Cornelius Hill after long and faithful service in the 
Church, having the confidence and respect of the entire 
Nation, and with suitable preparation was on June 27, 
1905, ordained to the sacred office of deacon. It was a 
notable day among the Oneidas when their Chief, one of 
their own Nation, and the first Oneida, was to have part 
in such a ceremony. The Bishop and other clergy were 
nut at the station with the band playing and a full escort 
of loyal Indians. 

The Church services were attended by the tribe in large 



ONAN-GWAT-GO. 3 2 9 

numbers from all parts of the Reservation, and from 
other long distances. There had been at half past six a 
celebration of the Holy Communion, the Rev. B. Talbot 
Rogers, of Grafton Hall, Fond du Lac, being celebrant. 
At 10 o'clock, Morning Prayer was said, and a class for 
Confirmation presented to the Bishop. The ordination 
service was at u o'clock. The candidate was presented 
by the Missionary in charge, the Rev. Solomon S. Burle- 
son. Besides Bishop Grafton and the Missionary, those 
who assisted in the service were the Rev. Dr. Dafter, the 
Rev. H. L. Burleson, and the Rev. B. T. Rogers. 

The Gospel was read by Cornelius Hill in the Mohawk 
language ; he also, as usual, took the part of interpreter. 
But the shadow of a great sorrow is said to have rested 
on him and all the people in sympathy. An epidemic had 
broken out among the children ; six had died within a few 
days, among them the youngest child of Cornelius Hill, 
and the funeral was appointed for that afternoon. Says 
one in describing the day : 

"While it was one of great rejoicing because of the 
spiritual gift to be dispensed to him, it was also a day of 
sadness of heart, for his infant son lay dead at home wait- 
ing burial after the service of ordination. 

"Mr. Hill took his place by the side of the Bishop, and 
proceeded to interpret the sermon ; but when he came to 
the words addressed to himself, strong and reserved 
Indian that he is, he simply covered his face and sobbed. 
In the church no sound was heard, and not an eye was 
raised. One could feel the sympathy extended to him 
from all hearts. But in a few moments he regained his 
composure and went on with the calmness of a soul rest- 
ing in God." After his ordination the Rev. Cornelius Hill 
assisted in parish work, visited the sick in distant parts of 



33 o THE ONEIDAS. 

the Reservation, and in various ways was a faithful co- 
worker with those under whom he served as deacon. 

As interpreter Mr. Merrill thus describes him: "As a 
Minister of the Church he impresses one with a sense of 
his earnestness and spirituality, as vested in cassock, sur- 
plice and stole, quietly and without self-consciousness, he 
takes his part in the service. He interprets the lessons 
from the English Bible into the Oneida tongue with a 
most remarkable fluency. There are comparatively few 
words in the Oneida language, and an English sentence is 
therefore difficult to translate. Paragraph by paragraph 
is the message of the preacher repeated with much elo- 
quence and feeling." 

It is said to be deeply interesting to see Onan-gwat-go 
standing by the Missionary, his face turned toward the 
speaker as he listens attentively, and then turning to the 
ile, speaks to them of the things of God. Now and 
then one hears in the midst of the soft flow of the Oneida 
syllables an English word, for which there is no Oneida 
equivalent. A feature that is always refreshing is the 
close sympathy of the interpreter with the spirit of his 
message. Nothing is so bracing, so inspiring, so glad- 
dening to him as hearing a real message, words that come 
straight from God and go straight to the hearts of the 
listeners. 

A few years later a far more impressive ceremony was 
to take place in the stately stone church. The Christian 
soldier, the Rev. Cornelius Hill, had proved himself 
worthy the trust reposed in him, and after eight years of 
faithful service in the Courts of the Lord as deacon, he 
was about to receive a higher order in the ministry, that 
of priest. His ordination occurred on St. John Baptist's 
Day, June 24, 1903. The Indians, giving up all work to 



ONAN-GWAT-GO. 33* 

make a holiday of this great event, came from all parts of 
the Reservation. A special train from Green Bay brought 
from sixty to seventy people to attend the ceremony. 
With them was the Rt. Rev. Bishop Grafton and the Rt. 
Rev. Bishop Weller, Bishop Coadjutor from Fond du 
Lac, and as many as twelve of the clergy from various 
parts of the diocese. 

The usual escort— Missionary, Indians, and band went 
to the station to meet their guests, the band playing a 
welcome. "The Missionary on a white charger," it is 
said, "appeared as grand marshall as well as spiritual 
adviser." Bishop Grafton had become very much inter- 
ested in, and attached to, the Oneidas. As he stepped 
from the train he was seen to wave his acknowledgment 
to the band. After a few words to the mission staff, and 
old friends among the Indians, carriages, and every 
available wagon sent, was filled. Some started ahead on 
foot as the long procession was formed, the band playing 
as they took up their march back to the Mission half a 
mile away. 

They reached the Mission at n o'clock, and in a few 
moments the large church was completely filled with 
visitors and the usual worshippers. From the choir- 
room the soft voices of the choir began the processional 
hymn ; soon the procession entered the main door of the 
church with cross and banners, the low sweet tones of the 
cornet proclaiming their coming. 

It was a rare and peculiar event that was about to take 
place and one causing deep interest in the hearts of many, 
For an Indian Chieftain, the last of his line in a once 
powerful Nation, to be so appointed, was now to be in- 
vested with full Orders in the Church. No ceremony, 
we are told, even in the Cathedral city had exceeded in 



332 THE OXBIDAS. 

pomp that which transformed a descendant of the Ameri- 
can Indian into a spiritual leader. The rich vestments of 
the Bishop and attending priests, the reverent and digni- 
fied ceremonial of the service, are said to have formed 
a striking contrast with the environment. Then more 
thrilling, as a climax, there floated through the church 
the weird music that had come down from an almost for- 
gotten age, and the more weird words of the Oneida 
tongue with which the Gloria in Excelsis and the solemn 
Te Dcum were sung. 

Clergy and scores of visiting laity alike were thrilled 
by the solemnity of the whole service. All eyes were 
riveted on the tall figure of the candidate when the time 
came for him to proceed to the chancel, and then upon 
the venerable Bishop, loved for so many years by his dio- 
cese, who was to conduct the solemn Laying on of 
Hands, and celebrate the Holy Eucharist. The ordina- 
tion sermon was preached by the Rev. William B. Thorn, 
rector of St. Paul's Church, Marinette. Joel B. Archi- 
quette, a young Oneida, acted upon this occasion as in- 
terpreter. The text was from I. Timothy, 3:13. "They 
that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to 
themselves a good degree." He said, that all earthly 
favors paled before that which was to be given to-day. 
The office of priest is the most excellent a man can re- 
ceive. 

During the first part of the sermon the ordinand sat 
before the chancel, but as the preacher finished his re- 
in. irks to the congregation, the Indian chief rose and 
I attentive to the words addressed to him personally. 
ething of the stoicism of the old tribal days appeared 
to have had its logical transformation into the sincerity of 
Christian purpose as the chieftain stood there rigidly 
before his brother of the cloth. The preacher said: 



ONAN-GWAT-GO. 333 

"To the holy office of Priest my brother, you are to be 
admitted. For eight ytdis you have used the office ot a 
deacon well. Your faithful work is known to all, and 
while you may be tempted to shrink back and say, 'Who 
is sufficient for these things? I am not worthy of the 
priesthood,' yet judged by St. Paul's rule, you have pur- 
chased this good degree. And this will bring with it new 
care and new responsibilities. But judging from the 
past, we look to your future ministry in this higher order 
with hope, satisfied that it will bear much fruit. 

"You hold a high position among your people ; as their 
chief you command their respect and obedience in tem- 
poral things ; to-day you become a spiritual chief. Your 
duty is to rally the people around you, raise the war-cry 
of the Prince of Peace, and lead them, men, women, and 
children, against the enemies of their souls. You are to 
show them how to fight these enemies, and this you will 
do by your teaching. You will tell them in public and in 
private what things to do and what not to do; what to 
think and what not to think. You will point them to the 
Sacraments tor help in all their affairs. And because 
you will be a priest, they will listen to you. They wit 
know that you speak as you are told by God. But there 
is a stronger way than teaching to appeal to your people. 
Show that you believe what you teach by living as Christ 
would have you live. Be good and true and noble and 
brave. Always remember that your ordination was on 
St. John Baptist's Day. Study his life ; see how good 
and true he was. Ask God to make you like him, that 
you may live as he lived, and preach as he preached, with- 
out fear of man." 

Following the sermon came the presentation of the 
ordinand by the Rev. Walter R. Gardner, Archdeacon of 



334 THE ONBIDAS. 

Algoma; then the Litany sung by the Rev. Henry S. 
■r, rector of Christ Church, Green Bay; then the 
Introit, an Indian chant, and the Holy Eucharist in 
English. At the conclusion of the service the Bishop 
presented, on behalf of the Tribe, a gold watch to the 
newly ordained priest. Then, seated in front of the 
chancel for the usual reception of the Tribe, big and 
little, down to the smallest papoose, came forward to 
shake hands with the Bishop and to receive from him a 
kind word, or a blessing. They then filed out ofc-the 
church and scattered for lunch served by the guild 
women ; and to pass the day in various ways. 

Chief Onan-gwat-go, now the Rev. Cornelius Hill, 
was at the time of his ordination in his sixty-ninth year, 
and is said to have resembled the portraits of some of 
the old chiefs that hang in the State Historical Society 
at Madison, Wisconsin. He is tall and straight, with 
quiet, cordial manner, thoroughly self-possessed, and 
with a genial smile that wins the friendship of all with 
whom he comes in contact. There is a bronze tinge 
to his face ; his hair is iron-gray. He has a wife who 
has not yet learned to speak the English, and eight 
children. His children are receiving a good education ; 
after finishing the schools at Oneida, at Hampton, 
and other Indian schools away from the Reservation. 
Though the Rev. Cornelius Hill will have a missionary 
stipend, it is only the small sum of $150 per annum; so 
his main support must come from his well cultivated 
farm. 




The Rev. Cornelius Hill— Onan-gwat-go, Chief and Priest 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 335 



Chapter XXVI. 
Educational Advantages. 

As the Indians advanced in civilization there was great 
necessity for higher educational privileges. On a Res- 
ervation ten miles by twelve in extent, besides the Mission 
School there were but four or five scattered district 
schools sustained by the Government. The Rev. Edward 
Goodnough, and other missionaries before him, had again 
and again pleaded for a large Government School cen- 
trally located, but in vain. It remained for the Rev. Mr. 
Burleson to so state the matter that his petition was 
finally granted. Before entering on his work at the Mis- 
sion he visited it, to ascertain their most pressing needs, 
and went himself to Washington, to present the cause of 
the people to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who 
promised to take the matter to headquarters. 

After the delay of a year or two more, their request 
was considered, and the much needed Government Board- 
ing School allowed under certain considerations. Soon 
after the passage of the "Dawes Allotment Act," it is 
said, "A Commissioner appointed by the President was 
sent to the Reservation, to explain the provisions of the 
law and to induce the Oneidas to take advantage of it." 
At a Council with the Indians this matter was thoroughly 
discussed. One of the inducements held out was, that if 
they would take their lands in severalty, he, the Commis- 
sioner, would recommend to the President and Secre- 
tary of the Interior that a boarding school should at once 



336 THE ONEIDAS. 

be established on the Reservation. These recommenda- 
tions were favorably considered, and in the allotment of 
lands that soon followed, a tract near the centre of the 
Reservation was reserved for a school site. It was not, 
however, until the spring of 1892 that the erection of the 
first school buildings was commenced. 

In July Charles F. Pierce, a superintendent of several 
years' experience, who had successfully organized an 
Indian boarding school among the Sioux in the West, was 
sent to the Reservation, under orders from the Commis- 
sioner of Indian Affairs, to superintend the principal 
buildings, and to make plans and estimates for the con- 
struction of other buildings, also for furniture and neces- 
sary school supplies. The buildings were at first de- 
signed to accommodate eighty pupils, but when ready 
to be opened for use, March 27, 1893, it was found that 
the number of applicants far exceeded the capacity of the 
school. Could better evidence be given of their need 
for such a school? 

The accommodations, have been increased from time 
to time until at present we are told, their capacity admits 
of two hundred and twenty-five pupils, and the property 
is valued at about $65,000. There are seven brick and 
twelve frame buildings, well equipped with all the mod- 
ern conveniences and appliances ; such as steam heat, 
electric light, water and sewer systems. The cluster of 
buildings is delightfully situated on a high ridge nearly 
<>PlM>site Hobart Mission, yet at some distance across 
I )uck Creek. This is now spanned by a substantial Gov- 
ernment bridge that has taken the place of the more 
ru-tic one of logs. The buildings can readily be seen 
from all directions, and it is said: "Its fine brick Assem- 
bly irall, over which floats the American flag, presents a 
pleasing as well as patriotic appearance." 




The United States Government Boarding School 




The Assembly Hall, Government Boarding School 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 337 

The following graphic description of the place and 
work going on at the school has recently come to us 
through a dispatch to one of the public papers : 

"Upon entering the grounds, the Superintendent's 
office and home, a plain red brick building, is seen at the 
right. A short walk from this is the Assembly Hall, 
with its well equipped grade school-rooms and a fine 
lecture hall. Beyond this is the Oneida Club House, a 
frame building where seventeen of the employes have 
made a cozy home. Directly north is the Hospital which 
rarely has occasion to shelter more than two or three 
patients at a time. 

"About the centre of the grounds are three dormitories 
for big boys, little boys, and girls respectively. The 
largest, the girls' dormitory, contains the kitchen and din- 
ing-room. Had it been the time for the "sand man," the 
upper rooms and long, single white beds with snowy 
coverlets, would have proved inviting. The kitchen, with 
its immense oven and piles of dish-pans, suggests a divi- 
sion of labor. The pantry, with two hundred and fifty 
beautiful loaves of freshly baked bread, and the dining- 
room, with numerous tables covered with white oil-cloth 
and set with white ware, gives pleasure to look upon. 

"Other attractions are the commissary building, con- 
taining generous stores of nearly everything in the mar- 
ket; the steam-laundry; the sewing-room with its sugges- 
tive motto, 'A stitch in time saves nine' ; the light and 
boiler plant ; the blacksmith and carpenter shops. The 
present Superintendent, Joseph C. Hart, has a corps of 
twenty-five school employes, of whom his wife is head 
teacher. All are efficient teachers, enthusiastic cham- 
pions, and warm friends of the Indians. Five of them 
belong to the race which they are teaching. Two hun- 



338 THE ONEIDAS. 

dred black-haired, dark-eyed Indian boys and girls, rang- 
ing from six to fourteen years, complete the census of 
the Oneida Government School. 

"With the exception of the Indian employes, all posi- 
tions are secured through the Civil Service Commission. 
The course of study is especially prepared to give the 
Indian child a knowledge of the English language, and 
to equip him with the ability to become self-supporting as 
soon as possible. The studies include mostly those 
taught in graded schools. The industrial work consists of 
farming, gardening, care of stock, and the use of tools 
for the boys ; cooking, washing, ironing, sewing, and 
lace-making for the girls. Half of the pupils assemble 
in the morning for grade work, while the other half are 
acquiring the industrial training. This is reversed in the 
afternoon. At play-time, the same as with white chil- 
dren, the girls enjoy basket-ball and the boys baseball, or 
iboth join in a game of tennis. 

"Uncle Sam provides liberally for the children; for 
they are given three uniforms, one for work, one for 
school, and a 'Sunday best.' These are replaced as fre- 
quently as wear necessitates. A variety of wholesome 
food appears in varied form each day, with turkey din- 
ners for holidays. English, on entering the school, is 
with some of the younger children an unknown tongue; 
but it is acquired so easily, that they are able to use it in 
ordinary conversation in a few weeks. The saying that 
'an Indian never forgets' proves true in what he so read- 
ily retains. Penmanship and drawing are fine arts with 
him, and all imitative knowledge is acquired without diffi- 
culty, while arithmetic is his great bugbear. Discipline 
i^ the easiest part of the work with the Oneida. The 
children are docile, giving little occasion for correction 
or punishment." 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 339 

Says a gentleman of Green Bay long familiar with the 
Indians: "The change of condition among the Oneidas 
towards civilization has been gradual, yet steady. But 
during the past ten or twelve years the improvement ha* 
been more marked and wonderful. The Oneida has 
made more advancement since Government began to take 
active interest in the education of their children than 
during the whole of my acquaintance with them, which 
has extended over a period of forty years. 

"In making this statement I do not wish to detract 
one iota of credit due the Mission Schools, which have 
existed on the Reservation for many years. Their line 
of duty has been similar to that of the Government 
schools, and the Missionaries have accomplished much in 
the way of laying a foundation upon which others are 
building. However, it is an established fact that educa- 
tion with its more enlarged advantages and influences, is 
the factor that has placed the Indians in their present 
prosperous condition. Education and enlightenment is 
doing for them what it has done for other races, and they 
are fast taking their places along with their white breth- 
ren in the various walks of life." 

A mission school has long been taught by the Mission- 
ary in charge, or some member of his family, since the 
first settlement of the Reservation, and too much praise 
cannot be awarded them for their patience under diffi- 
culties. To the teacher and pupil it was long like speak- 
ing to one another in an unknown tongue. For in those 
early days of the Mission even the parents scarcely under- 
stood a word of English, or, in a majority of cases, 
could be the least aid to their children. 

Let us consider the confinement to the poor little fleet- 
footed Indian child accustomed to roam about as free as 



340 THE ONBIDAS. 

a fawn ; like his parent before him, far more in love with 
everything connected with nature — the trees, birds, ani- 
mals, and every sylvan nook on the Reservation. Then 
what must it have been for such a child to feel com- 
pelled, for certain long weariful hours to confine himself 
to btudy, to twist his tongue into forming unfamiliar Eng- 
lish words? Cannot we imagine what a joyous shout a 
real Indian war-whoop, he would feel inclined to give 
when released from the thraldom of school? And yet, 
little by little, precept upon precept, they in time learned 
self-discipline, to care for their studies, love their teacher, 
and feel a deeper interest in both school and Church, as 
they were early taught their principles. 

The little Mission School of the Church, of which the 
daughter of the Missionary is the teacher, has for its spe- 
cial purpose at the present time the bringing of the chil- 
dren under the influence of the Church. This is what 
they cannot have at the Government School ; besides, the 
children must live at the latter place which takes them 
away from home for ten months in the year. 

We are sure that our readers would not think all Indian 
children dull and uninteresting could they see the bright 
and merry group of the little pupils of the Mission 
School. 

The Rev. Mr. Goodnough instituted the Mission School 
many years before the Government made any provision 
f( ir the education of the Oneida children. The older peo- 
ple who had been educated under his careful and devoted 
interest were greatly pleased when the school, which had 
reverted to Government charge was again, in September, 
1898, put in charge of the Church. The Mission 
School has certainly accomplished in the past, and we 
hope that it may be the same for the future, much in the 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 341 

way of laying a foundation upon which others are build- 
ing. Many a well disciplined Christian soldier, though 
young in years, has gone forth from the Mission School 
better prepared in every way, morally, mentally, and phy- 
sically, to enter into the new and wider fields opening out 
to him. And Oneida has reason to feel proud of the rec- 
ord her students of both sexes, have gained at the Gov- 
ernment School, Hampton, Carlisle, and other institutes 
of learning. 

It has frequently been stated even in the halls of Con- 
gress and reiterated by the press that the educated Indian, 
or returned student soon again takes to the blanket and 
habits of the uncivilized Indian. This statement is far 
from the truth. In the first place, the Indians of to-day, 
especially those of the Six Nations, are in a much higher 
state of civilization, than is generally supposed. And 
they readily put into practice whatever knowledge they 
have gained in agriculture, or any other line of study 
they may have pursued. It is said by their present Mis- 
sionary that as many as four hundred of the Oneida 
Indians have already thus sought to educate and im- 
prove themselves. 

After graduating we find some have secured positions 
in the Government service, others have become teachers, 
or trained nurses, and a few skilled professional men. 
The majority, however, find employment on farms, and a 
still larger number, on returning home, use the knowl- 
edge gained during school life in making homes for them- 
selves on their own land. Foremost in this class is Nel- 
son Metoxen, who after learning his trade at Hampton, 
returned to Oneida and set up a wagon and blacksmith 
shop. He has proved a skilled workman and a steady, 
upright young man. In his spare time he has also 



THE ONEIDAS. 

-_-d for himself and family a very cosy and comfort- 
able home which is pleasing to see as the work of an 
ndian. Other graduates are earning a comfortable liv- 
at home as carpenters, stone-masons, etc., and are 
making it possible for the people to improve their homes, 
hey are doing, with the help of their own skilled 
•:ers, instead of employing outside artisans. 
An educated Oneida, Joseph Smith, from Lawrence 
Lppleton, has erected and is conducting a 
.ill that is a help to many of the Oneidas. He not 
only finds employment for a large number of the young 
men in his mill, as well as at teaming, but is of great help 
to the Indians in sawing their lumber, principally hard 
1 of a fine grade, which readily sells at furniture fac- 
- in neighboring cities. Mr. Smith also conducts a 
-mall store, and quite recently has established a cheese 
farmers who find it too far to go to the 
ion Creamery. He has also erected a very fine mod- 
ern barn for the protection and care of his own fine herd 
of cattle. This certainly does not look like returning to old 
Indian ways. Other students are showing ability in va- 
rious ways to put into active use what knowledge they 
have acquired while away at school. Most marked are 
their modern and improved methods of carrying on their 
and of caring for their cattle. 
To encourage this, as well as to create another source 
the Indians to care for themselves, was the 
ion Creamery. At some expense they 
had : nk an artesian well, two hundred and 

thirty-three feet deep, and had a good flow of water for 
• ital, Mission House and now for the Creamerv. 
itable building it was begun on 
le They remodeled an old granary, and 
^•machinery and water supply put in. 








5^*5 







Old-time Log House 




The Metoxen Home 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 343 

Farmers were now urged to bring their milk to the 
Creamery. But it started, we are told, in a ridiculously 
small way, for when it was announced as in readiness to 
be opened, but one customer presented himself, and with 
only seventeen pounds of milk from two cows. At 
the end of the week, however, the number increased to 
thirteen patrons with 695 pounds of milk. After this 
first week there was daily received the milk of forty cows, 
the Indian farmers better understanding the work and 
pleased with their pay. 

Through generous help from friends at the East kindly 
interested in the Reservation, better cattle were placed 
upon some of the farms ; part of the milk to go towards 
the support of the Mission Creamery ; and their building 
was enlarged, or rebuilt. And so the good work has 
steadily been going on with increase, the well made but- 
ter having ready sale the year round at a fair price. 

Many of the young women of the tribe are as eager 
for an education as the young men. They have proved 
apt scholars, both in a mental and an industrial way at the 
Government School as well as at Hampton, Carlisle, and 
elsewhere. Says their missionary : "A great educational 
help at Oneida is given by the Sisters of the Holy Na- 
tivity. We believe this is the first instance where any of 
the Sisterhoods have sent their workers among the red 
men. The sisters have been in residence since 1898. In 
that year they had built their own home, and they have 
always given their services without any cost to the Church 
or Mission. Their work is not confined to spiritual min- 
istrations ; but with all the other workers, they labor for 
the advancement of the tribe in everytning that helps 
towards civilization. 

They have been of great aid in teaching and providing 



344 THE ONEIDAS. 

ale of the beadwork of the Oneida women. The mak- 
ing of beads and beadwork were among the industries of 
a far-away past; how far we have not now time nor 
ability to trace, or to ascertain who first taught the In- 
dians the use of beads. It is a relic of far older days 
than can now readily be counted. When Asia and 
America were closer neighbors, beadwork is thought to 
have belonged quite as much to the Orientals, Turks, and 
Egyptians as to the Indians. Almost every nation is 
found early to have had its beads in metal, pearls, glass 
or chalk. 

Says one : "There seems to have been some natural 
affinity between the globules and finger-tips, which once 
having been learned was never forgotten." And so, with 
nmre or less regularity beadwork fevers have revived, 
and we hear of dresses as glittering with jet bead, or 
pearl embroidery ; purses of steel beads, etc. In ancient 
I'tian days costly pearl necklaces and chains adorned 
the princesses. The prized coral necklace, or bracelet, 
from time to time has been brought forth from its hiding- 
place, and that unfailing heirloom, a string of gold beads, 
as worn by our great grandmothers, appears at intervals, 
as now, to encircle the neck of some young descendant. 

We find that the Oneidas, Mohawks, and others of the 
[roquois were long ago quite noted workers with beads, 
and that many handsome patterns originated with the 
( )neidas and were handed down from mother to daughter 
through many generations. Their wampum belts, 
; >i' lies, moccasins, and bead embroidered leggings and 
skirts were made centuries ago. Later, when adopting 
the dress and learning the ways of civilized people, less 
and less of this special work was done. The women 
merely made pincushions, watch-cases, small bags, or such 




Oneida Beadwork 




Oneida L,ace 




Oneida Basketry 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 345 

trifles as could be readily sold to t'uose collecting Indian 
work, yet rarely with much profit to themselves. A few 
years ago beadwork was revived. The Sisters conceived 
the benefit it might be to the Indian women, and so 
formed a class to teach them the new kind of woven bead- 
work then in use. 

The women were taught many a beautiful and intricate 
piece of work by the Sisters — tubular and flat chains, 
watch-fobs in great variety, purses, belts, banners, nap- 
kin-rings, curtain-bands with fringed ends, opera-bags 
and sofa-pillows. One of the latter is said to be an 
especial favorite in a College boy's den. All these things 
have met with ready sale at the East, where kind friends 
have interested themselves in their disposal. At the Gov- 
ernment School the introduction of bead and lace-work 
was found to have wrought a refining influence among the 
young girls, as shown in greater neatness of person and 
quietness of manner. They take such delight in their 
beadwork, it is a pleasure to see them sit down to it with 
frame before them strung with threads, and weave in and 
out point or curve, leaf or flower, in strange designs and 
artistic color. 

The women of the Reservation make good use of the 
money they earn from both bead and lace-work by buy- 
ing for themselves pieces of furniture, crockery, shoes, 
shawls, etc. And sometimes they lend a helping-hand in 
the purchase of a plough, harness horse, or cow, accord- 
ing to the urgency of the case. But it is the lace-making 
that is meeting with still greater success. On one of his 
visits to the East the present Missionary obtained a prom- 
ise from Miss Sybil Carter that some day she would send 
a lace teacher to Oneida. 

Of Miss Carter it is said : "That lover of all that is good 



34 6 THE ONEIDAS. 

for the Indians, and their good lover — Miss Sybil Carter 
— was doing more than she knew when visiting as Mis- 
sionary of the people of Japan, she noticed the skill and 
perfection of the lace-workers. There were women of 
the Orient doing marvelous things, shaping with slender 
brown fingers curious and beautiful work in lace, to make 
lovely the loveliness of their white sisters, in the adorning 
of both themselves and their homes. Lace for the throat 
and shoulder and wrist, lace for table and curtain and 
bed, here was a direct inspiration that needed no tongue 
of interpreter to make plain the gracious meaning. Why 
should not the women of the Occident, the 'true Ameri- 
cans,' learn the same art? Who could tell but their 
brown fingers, certainly just as brown, might not prove 
just as cunning. 

"And so with all the enthusiasm of the true helper, and 
the determination to acquire a knowledge of such exqui- 
site industry, Miss Carter learned the intricate weavings 
of pillow-lace and the simpler handling of braidlace, keep- 
ing in mind those women in her own land who were to be 
provided with satisfying work and, so far as she could, 
effect it, satisfying wages. Every one knows the success 
of her generous efforts, and Indian lace schools are now 
matter for just pride, to all living under the Stars and 
Stripes." 

Miss Carter, then residing in New York, did not forget 
her promise to the Missionary and sent a representative 
to spend some days on the Reservation. Mrs. Charles 
Bronson, a teacher of lace-making at Hampton, the 
very centre of industries among the Indians, came during 
their vacation to teach the Sisters, and a few of the most 
expert Indian women lace-making, and they in turn 
taught others on the Reservation and at the Government 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 347 

School. It requires some capital to start this industry, 
for money was needed for materials and other expenses. 
But this, as in many other emergencies, was very unex- 
pectedly provided for by a warm friend of the Oneidas, 
Miss Cotheal Smith, as a memorial of her sister Mrs. 
Catherine Tichenor of Boston. 

In time the number to learn lace-making increased, and 
Sister Katherine was kept busy preparing patterns for 
doyleys, collars, cuffs, etc. She also had to measure off 
fine braid or delicate cord to be wrought, through intri- 
cate lace-stitches, into various pretty patterns and useful 
things. These were given out with the constant en- 
treaty to often wash the hands and keep their work per- 
fectly neat and clean if they would have it prove saleable. 
Small oyster pails, bags, or boxes were given so as to 
hang their work high out of reach of their little ones; 
some pretty tissue-paper too, to fold it up in. With the 
reiterated caution, "It must be kept clean," it is not sur- 
prising that the bits of lace-work were returned to the 
Sisters with perfect neatness and exquisitely done, for 
the Indians proved apt scholars. And we learn that they 
earned within the year, with the many interruptions 
from housework as well as summer help in field and 
garden, over $1,200. 

The Oneidas, we have been told, took first prize for 
their work at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, where 
there was a great showing of elegant lace. Previous to 
that they won a prize from the Paris Exposition. They 
do various kinds of lace. Besides Battenberg lace, they 
make Honiton, Point, and other kinds of more difficult 
lace. Some are expert makers of the real, or pillow-lace, 
and their latest work is what is called Roman cut-work. 
Though all this work is done in the homes of the tribe, 



34 8 THE ONEIDAS. 

some of them log houses, and where the workers' time 
must be given to many cares, and they know, beyond a 
shadow of a doubt, that their work must be spotless 
when it is returned to the Sisters, they succeed mar- 
vellously in accomplishing much that is pretty and dainty, 
and readily disposed of for their benefit. 

We say readily, though this too, requires time and 
labor in sending the lace elsewhere, keeping accounts, 
and seeing that the women are paid as soon as possible. 
All of this requires time, patience, and funds to keep 
going. But it is hoped that lace-making will solve part 
of the problem in regard to the returned students. For 
with this industry established, there is at last found some- 
thing for the girls to do when they come back from 
various schools, so they need no longer feel forced to 
leave their homes, to find employment elsewhere. 

Another industry is now interesting the Oneida women 
— that of making baskets. Like old-time beadwork, they 
had almost ceased to be made on the Reservation, except 
fi >r home use, and for two reasons : one, that the black 
ash saplings necessary for this work were destroyed some 
time ago by forest fires ; the other, that even with the 
material, machine-work so competed with the Indians' 
hand-made, splint basket, that it ceased to be at all pro- 
fitable. But again, as with the beautiful lace-work and 
modern beadwork, one friendly to the Oneidas was to 
heli) them, in a very unexpected way, to help themselves. 

In the words of another: "But better things were in 
st< >re f( ir their clever fingers, for another lover of Indians, 
ami one who is ever studying not merely what we can do 
for them, but what they can do for themselves, has found 
that from a luxuriant growth of the yellow willow on the 
Kc-ervation very strong, serviceable and picturesque 




Episcopal Mission House 




The Sisters' House 



EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES. 349 

baskets can be made. They require more skill than 
splints, but last many years, and have only the natural 
coloring pale red at first, and turning with age to terra- 
cotta and mahogany. Seeing the possibilities of this kind 
of willow, Sister Katherine put herself in the hands of a 
most efficient teacher, with the avowed desire of learn- 
ing all that could be taught in this line of basketry. 

Besides these, there is really no end to the pretty things 
that can be made ; table-mats, lunch-baskets, frames for 
flower pots, tumbler-protectors, medicine-glass covers, 
and why not strong, pretty book-racks ? Fancy a handful 
of your favorite books, kept in place by these artistic 
willows, on a rattan table holding also a potted sword- 
fern, the fronds falling over just such a graceful jar- 
diniere as stands on the floor in the picture, all in some 
cosy corner of some favorite room. To be sure such a 
rose-colored, no, willow-colored, — view is quite embry- 
onic, so far as the Oneida workmanship is concerned; 
but there is no reason why it should not become a reality, 
and grow as the lace has grown, very quietly, and with 
few pupils in the beginning, but each one bringing a 
long train of aspirants. Already a few reed baskets have 
been very well made by the older girls in the Govern- 
ment School where the Sister introduced this particular 
line of basketry." 

Besides teaching these industries, the Sisters assist in 
Church work. They give Bible instruction, see to the 
altar work, help with the music, and are ready at all 
times to do all in their power for their Indian friends. 



35 o THE ONEIDAS. 



Chapter XXVII. 
Hospital in Working Order. 

Almost from his first coming to the Reservation the 
Rev. F. W. Merrill saw, as others had seen, the great 
need of having their sick better cared for. Scattered over 
wide distances, with a Government physician to drive 
many miles, when sent for, the sick could not have the 
attention they so much needed. 

The Hospital, after its completion, was put under care 
of two Sisters of the Holy Nativity. They had, at 
Bishop Grafton's suggestion, come to the Reservation 
from an Episcopal Sisterhood founded in Boston, but 
afterwards removed to Providence, Rhode Island. The 
Sisters were in charge for nearly a year ; but for want of 
funds and sufficient equipments at the Hospital, trained 
nurse, and resident physician, etc., they could only give 
out simple remedies and go among the sick to look after 
their necessities. 

Although the Hospital had no endowment, or wealthy 
benefactors, and had only the poor Indians to do what 
they could for their sick, Mr. Merrill felt that it should 
at i mce be put in working order. Its erection had been in 
answer to prayer and through great self-denial, and now 
it must be carried on in the same way. 

As with all new works, especially in the Mission field, 
there were many difficulties to be overcome, and great- 
est of all lack of funds. If the Hospital was occupied 



HOSPITAL IN IVOR KING ORDER. 351 

food would have to be supplied for the household, expen- 
sive medicines provided, and a salary, even if small, as- 
sured for a trained nurse, a resident physician, etc., and 
others. 

Appeals to some of the friends of the Oneidas were 
made, and so kindly and generously responded to that 
Mr. Merrill was enabled to open the Hospital for pa- 
tients for the first time, January 1, 1898. A venture of 
faith, he felt it, for the better care of their sick. In 
speaking of it he says: "Since the opening with no 
pledged support we have gone on doing what we could 
for our suffering ones. Our faith has not been unre- 
warded. God has opened the hearts and hands of His 
people, so they have been ready to give to our necessities. 
And we have not been obliged to refuse a single appli- 
cant who needed our care, some coming for a long, others 
for a short period of time." 

Previous to this opening there seems providentially to 
have been a way preparing and made clear to obtain 
a native trained nurse. Lavinia Cornelius, a bright, in- 
telligent Indian girl, after leaving Hampton Institute, 
felt a desire to fit herself as nurse, and so entered the 
New Haven School for Trained Nurses. When her 
studies there were completed, she returned to the Reser- 
vation and took charge at the Hospital from its opening 
until September 1, 1899, when she received an appoint- 
ment at the Government Boarding School. 

Again a way was opened to have the sick well cared 
for. Says Mr. Merrill: "We were fortunate to have 
another nurse in Miss Nancy Cornelius, a graduate of 
Carlisle and the Hartford Training School for Nurses. 
She entered upon hospital duty September 5, 1899, and 
remained with us until her marriage in 1904." Some 



352 THE OXEIDAS. 

of the reports concerning the sick cared for during their 
stay at the Hospital are very interesting. 

One of the women of the Guild, the oldest and best 
loved by them, was Mary Ann Bread. We first hear of 
her and her usefulness in the Diary of Ellen Goodnough. 
As she advanced in years, she was looked to for advice 
and treated as a mother by the youngest members of the 
Guild. She was also their interpreter, as occasion might 
require ; for she had served as nurse among white 
families, and could readily speak English. 

She was now quite advanced in years, and while the 
Hospital was being built it was promised, as she was 
suffering from infirmities, that a room should at any time 
be in readiness for her coming, a promise that was well 
kept, for one of the first to enter the Hospital after its 
opening was Mary Ann Bread, who spent the two last 
winters of her life there. She was between eighty-five 
and ninety years old, and was gradually failing in health 
and strength, but ever cheerful and happy and pleased 
with her hospital home, as well as grateful for all that 
was done for her comfort. 

After a second winter at the Hospital, and receiving 
her Easter Communion in its little Chapel, she returned 
to her people for the summer. It was not long, however, 
before her health more rapidly declined. She was visited 
several times by the Missionary and a few days before 
her death received her last Communion. Knowing it to 
be such, she said to him, "I am glad my long journey is 
nearly ended, and that very soon I shall be home." 

In writing of this event Mr. Merrill says: "She died 
June 4, 1900. Immediately after her death her body was 
brought to the Hospital, and there lay before the Chapel 
Altar until the day of her burial, June 7th. According 



HOSPITAL IN WORKING ORDER. 353 

to her wish, she was dressed for burial in her old Indian 
costume, beaded skirt, leggings and moccasins, and on 
her head was tied a simple black kerchief. Our dear old 
mother was loved and respected by the entire tribe, and 
rarely is a larger congregation seen in our Church than 
that which assembled on the day of her funeral. The 
service consisted of the Burial Office and the Holy Com- 
munion, after which the long procession wended its way 
to the summit of the high hill of the cemetery, and during 
the filling in of the grave, favorite hymns in Oneida and 
English were sung. There were visitors from families 
round about the Reservation in which she had been 
employed as a nurse, and to whom she had endeared 
herself by long years of faithful, loving service." 

YVe take pleasure in paying this tribute due to the 
memory of a long time, faithful worker among her peo- 
ple, and also to call attention to the fact that in the case 
of Alary Ann Bread, as in that of others, neither age nor 
constant intercourse with the whites caused her to lose 
her clinging attachment to the ancient Indian costume. 
It would seem as though in death they would thus almost 
proudly assert their race and lineage. 

The Hospital was still without a resident physician, 
but as before depended upon distant Government service 
such as could be sent for, until January 12, 1901, when 
the valuable services of Dr. Zilpha Wilson of the North- 
western University of Chicago were secured. Dr. Wil- 
son was employed by the United States Government, 
from whom she received a salary as physician, to see 
after the Government Boarding School on the Reserva- 
tion with its two hundred children. She also took 
charge of the patients at the Hospital without any addi- 
tional pay, and of the sick on the Reservation with but a 



THE 0XE1DAS. 

small nominal fee of fifty cents, not counting distance, 
or the medicines freely given. 

'We learn that within a year Dr. Wilson made over 
four hundred and thirty visits on the Reservation, and 
vaccinated seven hundred persons. This may give 
some idea of the good work done by a resident physician 
on such a Reservation. Says their Missionary later : "The 
services that Dr. Wilson has been able to render in many 
homes of the Oneidas has grown beyond record, and none 
but God can know the depth of our gratitude for her 
quiet, faithful, and successful labors in alleviating the 
sufferings of her many patients." 

But to sustain the Hospital, which has had no endow- 
ment and no subsidies, has from the first been a heavy 
burden, falling entirely upon the Missionary. Often- 
times it has caused deep anxiety lest the answer to ap- 
peals should come short, or prove unavailing and neces- 
sitate the close of this helpful Institution. 

And yet the expenses are not great for maintaining 
the Hospital. Exclusive of salary to nurse, etc., for 
food, heating, medicine, renewal of bedding, and other 
sary expenses, it requires, we are told, but $50 
a month ; a comparatively small sum when we con- 
sider how very beneficial the result. Would that the 
heart of some millionaire might be moved to endow the 
( >neida Hospital; or those with their many thousands to 
give some small annual sum to help sustain this blessed 
work of caring for the sick and aged ones, this work so 
ipart from all rich citizens, or the help usually ex- 
tended to Institutions of the kind. 

Since it was not to be expected that Dr. Wilson's 
almost gratuitous services could long be continued, 
and too, (mi an Indian Reservation so apart from all 



HOSPITAL IN WORKING ORDER. 355 

other advantages, it was the earnest wish of the Mis- 
sionary to have a native physician, one who had the in- 
terests of his own people at heart. And almost as in 
answer to prayer, a way was preparing for this. A young 
Oneida Indian early sought a good education. He at- 
tended the district school on the Reservation until he 
was fourteen years of age, and then went to Carlisle, 
where he remained for six years, earning for himself a 
reputation as a fine student and one highly esteemed fur 
his moral character and attractive personality. 

After graduating from Carlisle, and taking a short 
course in the Dickerson Preparatory School at Carlisle, 
he returned to the Reservation and was employed at the 
Government School as Industrial teacher. Later we 
hear of him as called upon to make addresses in various 
places at farmer's institutes. In these and other ways 
he showed capabilities equal to those of any college-bred 
or educated white man. His heart was now quietly set 
upon becoming a physician. But how to obtain the 
necessary means to pursue such studies was a some- 
what perplexing question. 

About this time the Rev. Mr. Merrill was to go East 
to present the cause of the Mission before a few generous 
and kindly interested friends. Besides assistance for the 
Hospital, they were greatly in need of a water plant to 
give a steady supply of water to the Hospital and Mis- 
sion House for bath-rooms and other sanitary conveni- 
ences, as also for a contemplated industry to be estab- 
lished near by. 

While in Boston addressing a small company in the 
Chapel of Old St. Paul's Church, with aid of the stereop- 
ticon to show something of the busy life on the Reserva- 
tion, mention was made of their urgent need of a resi- 



356 THE ON EI DAS. 

dent physician to care for over two thousand people at 
the Mission. Small though the meeting was, it proved 
momentous in results; for speaking of it their Mission- 
ary says : "God indeed blessed that small meeting to us 
and to the Oneidas. One of the number there assem- 
bled, Miss Ethel M. Cheney, President of the Junior 
Auxiliary of St. Paul's Church, came forward to gladden 
the heart of the Missionary and all his people with a 
promise that she would undertake to provide means for 
the education of a physician for Oneida." 

Thus it came about that Josiah Powless could enter the 
Milwaukee Medical College the following September. 
And now word comes to us that this young Oneida In- 
dian, in his twenty-eighth year, has finished with great 
credit a four years' course of study at the College and 
graduated, not only with honor but with the same splen- 
did record for moral character and attractive personality 
as he won while at Carlisle. We here present his like- 
ned, a strong, good face, with the hearty wish for a 
bright future before him. 

Dr. Powless has now taken charge of the Hospital at 
( )neida, with his wife to assist in the good work there as 
Nurse and Superintendent of the Hospital. May they 
receive all the help and encouragement needed since no 
means for physician's salary or supply of medicines is 
now allowed by Government. 

About three miles from the Hospital and Hobart Mis- 
sion there is another Mission. It is conducted by the 
Methodists. After the Rev. Eleazer Williams left the 
Mohawk Valley for the Reservation in Wisconsin with a 
number of the First Christian Party, it is said that some 
of those of the Second Christian Party who had been 
erted from heathenism by Mr. Williams, and who 




The Oneirln Hospital 





J. A. Powless, M.D. 




The Methodist Church 



HOSPITAL IN WORKING ORDER. 357 

remained behind for a time, joined the Methodist form 
of worship. Later we find a Methodist Mission sprung 
up among the western branch of the Nation. 

In 1829 a young Mohawk, who had been converted in 
Canada, began the work of establishing Methodist meet- 
ings on the Reservation. 

From that time on, different missionaries were in 
charge. In 1840 the Rev. Henry R. Coleman was ap- 
pointed to the Mission, and remained until 1845. He 
was succeeded by two other ministers who made but a 
brief stay, when "Brother Requa," as he was called, took 
charge and seems to have been very much beloved. Mean- 
time their old log church had given place to a respectable 
frame edifice. There was also a good frame parsonage 
occupied by the Missionary and a school house kept 
either by the Missionary or some one employed by him. 
The membership at this time is said to have been one 
hundred and twenty-five. 

It was in 1840 that their Church was dedicated; for 
we find this account of it in a work on "Methodism in 
Wisconsin" : "In the name and on behalf of our people 
we here present the land laid off for the building of this 
house, and all that we have done to complete the same, 
to God to be used as a holy place for religious worship 
according to the order of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church for the benefit of the Nation." It is then signed 
by five or six of their principal men. We cannot now 
enter into a full account of their Quarterly Meetings or 
succession of ministers as appointed by their Conference 
once in every two years. The one who seems to have 
remained with them the longest, and to be the best re- 
membered, is the Rev. Mr. Ford, who now, at the age of 
ninety years, has retired from active service, but still has 



358 THE OXEIDAS. 

a loving interest in his Indian friends, and is held in high 
respect by them. 

"Big Jake," the Head Chief of that portion of the 
Oneidas, seems to have been of some note and influence 
in their meetings and to have made speeches when re- 
quired. He is described as a man of stalwart frame, 
standing with head and shoulders above the people 
around him. The giant frame supported a large head, 
adorned by an expressive face. His movements were 
dignified and simple, because he was a born nobleman and 
did not know how to appear other than a prince. He 
was benevolent and tender to all who were trying to do 
right, but he was a terror to the evil-doers. Standing 
for his people, or for the rights of the oppressed, he was 
absolutely invincible. 

On one occasion when addressing the meeting, he re- 
ported their need for a bell and some repairs to their 
Church, and expressed the desire that their Missionary 
might be allowed to go abroad and raise necessary funds. 
Permission was granted, and the Missionary, taking 
some of the fine singers of the Nation with him, went to 
Xew York, Boston, and other places, to secure help. 
Wherever Brother Requa went he was recognized as a 
man of eloquence. Throngs followed him from church 
to church, and as might be expected, his mission of 
soliciting was very successful. 

This amusing account of the new bell is given by one 
of their writers. He says : "On the return of Brother 
Requa with the bell, the people were overjoyed. For 
the first week after it was hung in the steeple it was kept 
going almost night and day. Their friends came from 
every part of the Reservation, and no one was satisfied 
until his own hand had pulled the rope. And so high 



HOSPITAL IN WORKING ORDER. 359 

did the enthusiasm run that one man said : 'As soon as we 
get able we will put one on every house in Oneida.' " 

The people of this Mission have all the privileges of 
the Hospital and Government School, and true Christian 
harmony exists between the two Missions. Each car- 
ries on its work for the good of the Indians, as is judged 
best. In the year 1840 the Methodists completed a new 
Church building, a neat frame structure. They also 
have an Epworth Hall, and the old and rather dilapidated 
parsonage is now being replaced by a very handsome 
home for their Minister. There are over two thousand 
Indians on the Reservation at the present time. The 
Church Mission numbers one thousand two hundred, the 
Methodist, we understand, about eight hundred. The 
Romanists have built themselves a small Chapel, which 
is attended by a few families who have left the other 
Missions. They have no settled Priest among them ; 
but infrequent services are held by one of the "White 
Fathers" coming to them from Depere ten miles distant. 



3 6o THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter XXVIII. 
Ordination of the Rev. Leopold Kroll. 

During one of the Rev. Mr. Merrill's necessary ab- 
sences of two months in the East, where he was endeav- 
oring to raise funds to carry on the various branches of 
his church work, and interest people generally in the 
Indians, a young deacon, the Rev. Leopold Kroll, was 
placed in charge of all the duties of the Mission. He 
graduated B.A. of the class of 1897, from St. Stephen's 
College of Annandale, New York. In the same year he 
entered the General Theological Seminary, graduating 
with the class of 1900, to come soon after to Oneida. 

The home of Leopold Kroll being in New York City, 
Bishop Grafton thoughtfully suggested that he be or- 
dained Deacon by the Bishop of New York, with his 
class candidates in the Cathedral Crypt, on Trinity Sun- 
day, before coming to the Oneidas. He arrived there on 
June 30, 1900, and immediately entered upon his duties 
under the Missionary. He remained at the Mission all 
summer and, it is said that, during the Rev. Mr. Merrill's 
absence, he threw himself into the Indian work with all 
the earnestness of that first fervor of the ministry which 
argued well for his future. 

It seemed fitting that, before he went to his new field at 
Grand Rapids, he should receive the greater gift of the 
Priesthood in the place where God had called him to 
begin his ministry. 

On the 8th of November of the same year an impor- 




The Rev. Leopold Kroll 



ORDIXATIOX OF REV. LEOPOLD KROLL. 361 

tant event occurred at St. Paul's Cathedral, Fond du Lac. 
The Rev. R. H. Weller, Jr., was then consecrated Coad- 
jutor to the venerable Bishop Grafton. It was esteemed 
a very happy event; for from his previous ministry he 
was considered by all the Diocese as "the right man in the 
right place," and Bishop Grafton was congratulated 
accordingly. 

Present at the consecration of Bishop Weller was an 
Oneida Indian deacon. The event is thus described: 
"It was a day of gracious privilege to all. Besides the 
general points of interest in the consecration of Bishop 
Weller, there are some individual ones which concerned 
our Oneida people, and which it may please our friends 
to know. Bishop McLaren, in his wonderfully eloquent 
sermon, spoke of one person 'present on this occasion 
who remembers an incident which took place half a cen- 
tury ago, on the site of this town.' 

"In those days there was no Fond du Lac, save a little 
trading station. A rude log Church had been erected 
by some earnest and faithful pioneer Missionary, and 
here our Prayer Book services, so dear when so infre- 
quent, and when the surroundings are so poor, were held 
whenever a clergyman made his way on foot through the 
Indian trails to the farther North. 

"It must have been a great occasion for the little sta- 
tion when the saintly Bishop Kemper stopped here to 
give those out-of-the-way people a service, and break for 
the few communicants the Bread of Life. Very few of 
those who were then present to hear the words of Bishop 
Kemper are now alive, yet there was one who was sit- 
ting amongst the Clergy in the beautiful Cathedral of St. 
Paul, 'who,' said the preacher, 'can tell of a cold winter's 
night when all the people for miles around, from scat- 



THE ONBIDAS. 

tered and lonely outposts of civilization, gathered in the 
Church, and the Indians with their blankets wrapped 
around them peered in eager curiosity through the win- 
dows, to see the great white medicine man and note 
what was going on. In his Episcopal vestments, and 
with his beautiful, saintly face, he was to them a wonder, 
and a voice from a far-off land. The person who remem- 
bers such a scene is the Rev. Cornelius Hill, an Oneida 
Indian Chief, who for many years now has been the faith- 
ful interpreter for his people of God's dear Message of 
Redemption to a dying world.' " 

At that time we imagine Cornelius Hill must have been 
quite a young child, for he was only ten years old when 
he witnessed an ordination by Bishop Kemper in their 
own little frame Church on the Reservation, and directly 
afterward began his own studies at Nashotah. He was 
at Fond du Lac to meet the Rev. Dr. Weller as a former 
student with him at Nashotah, and to be present at the 
consecration of his son. 

Says the same writer: "Another pleasing event in 
connection with the consecration of Bishop Weller, the 
father, was not only to meet the Rev. Cornelius Hill, but 
to go to see another old Oneida Indian friend who was 
with them as student at Nashotah. After that their 
pathways had separated, the Rev. Dr. Weller's labors to 
be laid in Missouri and Florida, many miles from the 
scenes of his student days. And he never dreamt of one 
day coming back to Wisconsin to witness his son conse- 
crated Bishop, or to visit Oneida, to see the Indian stu- 
dents and his son perform his first official act on their 
irvation. 

"The country hereabouts had all changed during the 
half century of his absence; forests had given place to 




The Rt. Rev. R. H. Weller, D.D., Bishop Coadjutor of Fond du Lac 



ORDINATION OF REV. LEOPOLD KROLL. 363 

cultivated fields, thriving towns had taken the place of 
little hamlets, and where Indian trails had been, railroads 
now made their way. But with all these changes he 
found a link which connected the present with the past — 
two old Indians, students of Nashotah, from whom he 
had been separated for a long half century. They had 
not forgotten him, nor were they forgotten by him, and 
the reunion was looked forward to by the three with the 
greatest anticipation. The Rev. Cornelius Hill was one 
of them, and he had the pleasure of meeting his old stu- 
dent friend on the day of the consecration. The other 
was not fortunate enough to be there ; and so he had to 
abide with patience until his father, Bishop Weller, and 
his mother came thither. 

"Daniel Nimham, or as he is called by many of his 
friends, 'Uncle Daniel,' was in waiting at the Mission 
House long before the Bishop and his party appeared. 
He wanted to be sure about being on time, so as to greet 
his old friend the moment he arrived. Sameness is the 
chief characteristic of life on the Reservation, and to 
'Uncle Daniel' the meeting was to be a great event. For 
the few remaining years of his life on this earth, Novem- 
ber 10th was to be a red-letter day. Dr. Weller spoke 
feelingly of his visit to Oneida and of the pleasure it gave 
him to meet again on this earth these two associates. It 
was a day to them of 'Auld lang syne.' " 

To return to the Rev. Leopold Kroll and his ordina- 
tion. The Bishop Coadjutor, accompanied by his father, 
the Rev. R. H. Weller, D. D., his mother, and the Arch- 
deacon of Ashland, started for Oneida, on Saturday, the 
10th. We are told: "It was growing dark, and a wild 
blizzard raged when the Bishop's party reached the Res- 
ervation, but at the lonely station in the woods were 



364 THE ONEIDAS. 

assembled the Oneida National Band, many of whose 
members had walked through the snow and darkness 
several miles; quite a delegation from the Government 
School; and many of the Indians. A procession was 
iormed headed by a necessary band of torch-bearers, 
which, after a brief tussle with the bitter wind, arrived 
at the end of the half mile journey, at the Mission House. 
In the evening a reception was given to the Bishop, and 
quite a number braved the elements and came to show 
their respects to him and his friends. The band played 
some of its best selections, and as the visiting company 
had a large showing of those whose homes were in the 
South, the playing of Dixie received a very generous 
applause. 

"On Sunday morning there was an early celebration of 
the Holy Communion. At eleven o'clock a long proces- 
sion, consisting of four cornetists of the band, the vested 
Indian choir, the Clergy and Bishop entered the Church 
and the chief service of the day began. 

"Before the ordination the Bishop preached first, mak- 
ing plain to the people by the aid of the Interpreter, his 
relation to them as Bishop Coadjutor, and expressing his 
gratitude for the Episcopal ring which the Oneidas had 
presented to him. The service was not concluded until 
nearly three o'clock. Oh! what reverence and patience 
Indians have ! Over two hundred received the Holy 
Communion, and perhaps eight hundred went forward 
after the service to greet the new Bishop. This ceremony 
is a feature of every Episcopal visitation, and appeals 
very strongly to the tribal instincts of the Indians. 

"Evening Prayer was said at five o'clock, and was very 
well attended. Many of the Indians traveled again great 
distances to attend the service. The writer has visited 



ORDINATION OF REV. LEOPOLD KROLL. 365 

Oneida several times, and is amazed to notice the won- 
derful developments that have taken place. Oneida is 
well worth a visit. It seems impossible to describe ade- 
quately the deep and permanent impression which the 
Church is making upon these people. One of the very 
oldest Indians on the Reservation speaking of a visit 
paid them by a Seventh Day Baptist or Adventist, said 
that 'they didn't want any new religion — the Apostles' 
religion was still the best' — and he wanted the Preacher 
to tell him 'if they thought it necessary to take the sev- 
enth day from the Jewish Scriptures, why they did not 
observe the Rite of Circumcision and the offering of 
Bloody Sacrifices, instead of Baptism and the Holy 
Communion.' These are nearly his own words. 

"The evening before Mr. Kroll left Oneida, he was 
given a surprise party at the Guild Hall. There was 
quite a large gathering, and speeches, music, and games 
made up the evening's programme. During the speeches 
two young women went quietly among the crowd and 
later handed to Mr. Kroll a very pretty beaded buckskin 
bag which contained an offering of something more than 
twenty-five dollars, which, Mr. Hill said, 'is a little token 
of our love, and our respect for you and the kind work 
that you have done here amongst us Oneidas !' " 



3 66 THE ONBIDAS. 



Chapter XXIX. 
Christmas on the Reservation. 

Of the various works going on among the Oneidas 
we would record that of the women of the Guild. Such 
busy, busy workers as they are for the Church! Few 
auxiliary societies give more willing service. Their Mis- 
sionary in speaking of them says : 

"The nucleus of our Guild, was formed in the mission- 
ary days of the Rev. Father Goodnough of beloved 
memory, whose young wife when she came among the 
people, brought the elder women together and taught 
them how to cut and make their own clothing and to 
make white bread. 

"Then the never-failing bed-quilts were undertaken, 
and are flourishing to-day in wonderful squares and 
points and triangles of intense pink and yellow and green 
as important in the Oneida woman's eyes as a chest of 
linen to some nice Dutch Katrinka. Then followed in 
natural sequence the making of moccasins and dolls, for 
which orders still come in from genuine admirers of In- 
dian work; and if you only knew how restful moccasins 
could be to poor, tired feet, you would introduce them at 
the next five o'clock tea. Fancy a daintily outlined foot 
in softest buckskin, with solid beadwork reaching almost 
to the toe, and velvet collar tied around the ankles. 

"A real Oneida family claims presentation from our 
Guild women. Not bisque, nor china, nor even rubber 



CHRISTMAS ON THE RESERVATION. 367 

dolls, nor carrot dolls, nor yet rag ones, are waiting for 
their introduction to our readers, but two brown-faced 
gorgeously-attired Oneida dollikins, of good old corn- 
husk lineage. Here, Miss 'Getting-water-in-a-dipper,' 
and Air. 'Something-lying-on-the-ground' ! make your best 
bow to the pale-faces looking so curiously at you. What 
is it? 'They stare so.' Oh, well, they are just inter- 
ested white folk you know, not true, interesting Ameri- 
cans like yourselves, and one must not expect too much 
of them ; so don't mind if they examine your dress and 
beads and make some personal remarks ; this is quite the 
correct thing among pale-faces. 

"You see, dear Mesdames, these dollies are the handi- 
work of the Guild women, who spend every Thursday in 
their room in the Church, where they seem as fond of 
doll-making as Miss Alcott's 'Old-Fashioned Girl.' 
There is 'The-one-who-pushes-the-ice-away,' 'The-one- 
who-makes-maple-sugar,' and a dozen others, solemnly 
considering whether to put apple-green and magenta 
together, or to use gilt beads or glass ones on dolly's 
skirt ; and there is old Yanigien, with a lapful of brown 
corn-husks that she is laboriously fashioning into the doll 
itself, putting layer after layer, one over the other, until 
a hard, smooth surface is formed for the head, while the 
ends of the husks make arms, legs and body. Small 
brown stitches divide the fingers, and now Miss Doll is 
ready for her wardrobe. 

"She can't bother with stockings and shoes; her mother 
never gave them a thought, so on goes a pair of soft 
moccasins with beads up the front, and next a pair of 
black cloth leggings, rather broad, with a pretty pattern 
in chalk beads, worked on the outside edge and around 
the bottom. Now the doll is ready to be dressed in the 



368 THE ONBIDAS. 

little garments the other women of the Guild have been 
embroidering. Our illustration gives a pretty good idea 
of how the Chief looks, and his neatly dressed squaw, 
with her papoose, in their old-time costumes. The dolls 
are said to be fine representatives of a fine old tribe, and 
every lover of Indian curios should have at least one, if 
not the whole family, among their collection of Indian 
things." 

But the making of dolls is only a part of what is done 
by the Guild women, who earn several hundred dollars 
a year for their dear Church. Do the men give a day's 
work in the fields belonging to the Mission? Out come 
the Guild women to prepare dinner and supper. Is a 
feast given in order to raise a little money? All day 
long, the Guild women make their best bread, pies, and 
cake, and whatever tastes good to the Indian palate. 
Does the chancel need cleaning? Here are the Guild 
women with pails, and cloths, and plenty of good will. 
Or perhaps long yards of green are needed for the 
Christmas decorations. Here are the same ready hands 
to twine the wreaths. In their quiet way, all this means 
work and "a good time," low-voiced talking and low- 
voiced laughter, with inflections no elocutionist could 
give, and all the time in the world to spare ! Why should 
any one be in a hurry because dinner was appointed for 
one o'clock? Half past two is early enough for a man 
who is not all stomach, for the dispatch of the average 
white man and the hurry-flurry of the average white 
woman find no place among the people of the Red Stone. 

What visions of happy times among the Oneidas are 
called up by the very words "y ar ds f greens for Christ- 
mas decorations," as prepared by the women of the 
Guild. Our work will hardly be complete without some 







Corn Husk Dolls 



CHRISTMAS ON THE RESERVATION. 369 

account of the most joyous time of the whole year to 
young and old. Boxes and barrels of Christmas good 
cheer have been coming to the Mission House and been 
stored away in the attic. There cannot be too many of 
them from both Senior and Junior Auxiliaries, when we 
consider that the Missionary must, if possible, have a gift 
of some kind for each of his Indian children, big and 
little. They look to him as to a real father, a dispenser 
of good things. And as there are over a thousand to be 
provided for, you can well imagine how great, intense, 
indeed, is his anxiety not to disappoint one of them. 

A month or more before the Holidays the good Mis- 
sionary almost lives in his attic, assorting, with some help, 
the contents of the boxes, to make a judicious distribution 
of them. And how delighted he is if he finds something 
suitable for all in the way of toys, clothing, or new mate- 
rial for old and young, down to the little tots just learn- 
ing of Santa Claus. One little chap addressed him as. 
"Sand Close," to make mention of a few simple wants,, 
while another expressed a desire for only a pair of sus- 
penders, certainly a modest request, but doubtless some- 
thing the child had been longing for, to help make a 
little man of himself. 

Can you who live in cities, or towns, where large stores 
are filled with elegant Christmas things attractively laid 
out, imagine what a Christmas tree is on a Reservation 
where there is not a single store of any kind, and where- 
the Indian child cannot, buy =0 much as a stick of candy ? 
Then picture, if you can, what it must be for such a child 
to see a well laden tree, and have a bag full of candy and 
a toy of some kind given him. How his eyes sparkle and 
how eagerly he grasps what is laid in his hand! One 
in writing of Christmas on the Reservation says : "It was. 



37 o THE ONBIDAS. 

really pathetic to see a little, motherly Indian girl, grasp 
a doll and hug it tight, as though amazed at her posses- 
sion; while another mite in breathless suspense watched 
the distribution of various beautifully dressed dolls. 
When one and another passed by with her doll, she would 
stretch forth her little brown hands, then clasp them 
across her breast, saying in an undertone, 'Baby, Come !' " 

At their last Christmas Feast our friend the Missionary 
writes us : "It has been a wonderful Christmas for our 
people. A glorious Feast. About two hundred and fifty 
communions were made. The Church was beautifully 
decorated with home-made garlands, the large vested 
choir sang splendidly the Christmas Hymns, some of 
them in their own language to quaint and weird music 
that had been in use amongst the Tribe for fifty years or 
more. On Christmas night we had with a special Service 
the Christmas tree for the older people. And then, large 
as our Church is, it would not seat the great congrega- 
tion. Many had to stand throughout the Service, and 
for the much longer part — the distribution of the gifts — 
which took us until nearly eleven o'clock at night, as every 
one is remembered with some gift, and all have to come 
forward to receive it. 

On Holy Innocents' day, after the children's Eucharist 
at nine o'clock in the morning, we had the tree for them. 
And I am sure that nowhere in the world were there any 
happier children than the little red folk of Oneida. 
There were fully three hundred children in Church, many 
coming several miles for the little gifts that to some of 
our children would hardly seem worth crossing the street 
for. But these little people have so few gifts that Christ- 
mas is the greatest day in the year for them, and even 
the old people are delighted with a bag of candy or an 
orange." 



CHRISTMAS ON THE RESERVATION. 37* 

In writing of this Festival, and especially when allud- 
ing to the children's part are these words : "I am bound 
to say their tree was much more imposing. All the 
branches were green to the ends, and there was a braver 
show of colored balls and trinkets and cut tinsel, besides 
paper decorations, to make our Brownies open their eyes 
and wonder what was to be forthcoming. It was liter- 
ally laden with good things more than they probably ever 
dreamed of having when their eyes were closed. The 
magic power that wrought so much for our second 
Christmas tree, came straight from some of the Junior 
Auxiliaries, whose members covered themselves with 
glory and our children with that happiness rarely to be 
found outside of story books." 

Placed about the decorated tree for the older people the 
useful gifts are usually done up in bundles; some, per- 
haps, in the ever welcome comfortable, or new blanket, 
and 'so given out. You will see one and another quietly 
give a little pinch, or poke to their bundle to anticipate 
its contents. 

Two hundred such bundles piled high about the tree 
were given out this Christmas to serve a thousand with 
new garments, or new material out of which they could be 
made. Among the gifts were calico, cloth, flannel, large 
knit underwear, handkerchiefs, shoes, stockings, and 
other things. When the boxes and barrels were about 
empty and a belated one arrived, the Missionary, ever 
pleased and grateful for all that is sent for his Indian 
children, felt doubly so, as he thus thanked the sender, 
a lady who for over forty years has taken an interest 
in the Oneidas : 

"Your box came just when the supplies were giving out, 
and I was wondering what I could put in for the few 



37 2 THE OXEIDAS. 

remaining bundles. Everything in it was useful. The 
warm underwear, I felt sure, would give much comfort 
to the old woman to whom I assigned it. As she was 
not able to come to the evening Christmas tree, she came 
to the Mission House, and as she is now almost blind 
she wanted Mrs. Merrill to open her bundle and tell her 
what was in it, and when she felt of the flannels she put 
them up to her lips and kissed them. The good old 
body was, as she said, 'so glad to have something warm 
to wear.' " 

Does this not show grateful appreciation and give en- 
couragement to those who so kindly and generously send 
these much appreciated gifts to Oneida? 

But it is not alone of their Christmas tree and gifts we 
would speak, but of the Oneida's reverence for the Na- 
tivity of Christ, and all connected with the great Festival, 
it has as deep meaning to them as to any of their white 
brethren. And they fully understand the fitness, ac- 
cording to Scripture, of bringing " the fir and the spruce 
to beautify the place of the Sanctuary." It is not a 
question with the Oneidas of "how much a yard?" or 
"how much a pound?" with their greens, but only "What 
do you want ? and when will you have it ?" 

Says one in writing to a friend : "You know nothing 
about an Indian Christmas, at least on this Reservation, 
or have any idea how royally both men and women make 
their preparations. They bring enough cedar and hem- 
1< ick, spruce and pine to tie yards and yards, I might 
almost say miles, of rich festoons for the chancel, besides 
making a screen of blue-green spruce each side of the 
altar, and crowning the Bishop's and priest's chairs with 
the same lovely tree-tops, small, of course, but like a 
little blessing to each, and filling the Church with their 
spicy fragrance. 




Oneida Baby 





Another Oneida Baby 



A Young Brave 



CHRISTMAS ON THE RESERVATION. 373 

"The chancel, forty feet square, was entirely draped 
in brilliant turkey red, not a line of white visible on any 
one of its walls, which from roof to wainscot, was one 
mass of living - , vivid red, fold after fold in graceful lines, 
covering every inch of space and forming an immense 
lunette over the canopy of the Reredos. Against this 
glowing background stood out trees of spruce and the 
graceful lines of a temporary Rood-screen, covered with 
the same warm color and wound and dressed in double 
festoons of arbor-vitae, framing in the chancel and adding 
a note of mystery to that part of the people's Home, for 
that is what the Church stands for to these Indians — 
it is their Home." 

The Rev. Mr. Merrill, after speaking of the older chil- 
dren at the Christmas festivities, adds : "And what shall 
be written of the very tiny men and women, the baby 
Oneidas, two of whom look up at you from these pages ? 
Very civilized, very like ordinary white babies they look. 
These babies, however, have one experience unlike any 
white child's, for while Miss America is dressed in her 
best and carried to Church, it is only for once ; after her 
Baptism she rarely goes again until old enough to keep 
still and not distract her neighbors. But red babies ap- 
pear with great regularity, coming in white gowns with 
dainty caps, or plain calico, with sunbonnets, or some- 
times in odds and ends of flannel, with a handkerchief 
over the cute little head, and carried over the mother's 
shoulder, or in cold weather, tucked under her shawl ; 
from which they emerge warm and serene, ready to be 
interested in a gay-colored window, or a cracker from 
some deep pocket, and invariably keeping up a running 
commentary on the sermon. If opinions clash too loudly 
his babyship is gravely carried out to regain his native 



3 7 4 THE ONBIDAS. 

composure, and after his return, may be quietly passed 
over the back of the pew and slowly rocked on some 
good grandmother's knee. 

"One Sunday, a dear child was most engaging in her 
small absorption in books and flowers. She arranged all 
the Prayer Books and hymnals with great precision, 
looked with intense disgust at some crumpled and soiled 
paper, and finally took up a bag and handed her mother 
the purse from which to take the offering. Two pennies 
were given the child to put into the basin with her own 
pretty fingers, when it suddenly occurred to her that her 
neighbor might be gratified to offer a penny also, and 
taking the same she leaned over and extended that small 
copper coin with most gracious manner and a smile, as 
became a daughter able to count many noble forefathers." 

Another great help needed for the advancement of the 
Indians on the Reservation, add to their social pleasure, 
and give better accommodations to the women of the 
Guild, was a Parish House. With the earnest zeal ever 
shown by the Rev. Mr. Merrill, Missionary in charge, in 
carrying out various improvements for the benefit of his 
"Indian children," he set his heart upon no less a scheme 
than the erection of a sightly Parish House of Stone 
after the plan here presented.* The need of such a 
building had been very great, especially for the returned 
students. It seemed useless to give the Oneida boys and 

*As for the building of the Hospital, so the first offering of 
faith and zeal was given by children. In 1894, at a Missionary 
meeting held in St. Paul's Church, Overbrook, Philadelphia, the 
Missionary made mention of the great need of a Parish House 
at Oneida. Two little girls became interested and sent the Mis- 
sionary ten cents, which was the beginning of the building fund. 
As the outgrowth of this gift of faith there follows the com- 
pletion of the building at a cost of $7,500, without a cent of 
indebtedness. 



CHRISTMAS ON THE RESERVATION. 375 

girls all the advantages that Hampton, Carlisle, and 
others of the Indian Schools provide for them while away 
from home, and for nothing to be done to help them when 
they returned to the Reservation. 

These young people require some place where they can 
meet for social entertainment under proper guidance 
and where good and wholesome entertainments can be 
provided for them. At his annual visitation in August, 
1904, Bishop Weller turned the first sod for the founda- 
tion 'of the new building, and during that year, through 
the generosity of the friends of Oneida, one wing of the 
building was completed, which provided very attractive 
quarters for the children of the Mission School. More 
friends kindly contributed to the building fund, so that 
on October 15, 1905, they were able to ask their beloved 
Diocesan Bishop to come to them to lay the corner-stone 
of the building, which they named in his honor, "The 
Bishop Grafton Parish House." More appeals were 
issued, with encouraging returns ; so that on June I, 1906, 
the Missionary signed a contract for the completion of 
the building, the work to be completed on October nth. 
The new building is of classic design, a central facade, 
two stories in height, with a wing on either side one story 
in height, having a total frontage of eighty-five feet 
and a depth of seventy-three feet, with a lower portion 
at the rear extending back seventeen feet farther. The 
material used is the handsome rock-faced limestone quar- 
ried by the Indians from the river running through the 
Reservation. The main hall of the building has a seating 
capacity of over two hundred, and there is a stage in 
the rear of the building of sufficient dimensions to pro- 
vide for the various entertainments which are given by 
the Indians. Cloak-rooms and store-rooms, small class- 



37 C> THE ONEIDAS. 

rooms, a large kitchen and pantry, and a work-room for 
the women of the Guild, are found in the building. 
One wing is used for a library and reading-room, and the 
other provides a room for the Mission School. In the 
spacious basement there is band-room 18 by 32 feet 
in size, a bath-room fitted with shower-baths, tub, and 
toilet fixtures. They also hope to establish a gymnasium. 
In planning this great work it was the Rev. Mr. Mer- 
rill's desire to provide for the Indians a place of instruc- 
tion and entertainment. The authorities of the State 
Agricultural College promised to give them Farmers' 
Institutes which would be of great value to some in an 
agricultural way. He also had promise of hygienic in- 
structions given to them by their physician. And lectures 
with stereopticon were to be provided for both amuse- 
ment and instruction during the long winter evenings. 
Thus the building was most wisely desjgned by the Rev. 
Mr. Merrill as a factor in the education and advance- 
ment of his Indian charge. 



CONCLUSION. 377 



Chapter XXX. 
Conclusion. 

Many, doubtless, will think we have given an alto- 
gether ideal account of the Oneidas. But other writers 
have been accused of doing the same, especially by those 
who do not know the real character of some of the intelli- 
gent Indians of the Six Nations. Though fierce and 
warlike in their early encounters with their foes, brave 
in the defense of what they considered their rights, many 
of them were naturally of a friendly and peaceful dispo- 
sition, more ready to smoke the calumet than to take up 
the tomahawk. 

Fire-water, it is true, has had its baneful influence on 
many of our Indians, and has brought out the worst side 
of their nature, as with all men, red or white. But since 
coming more and more under the influence of civilization, 
education, and the softening effects of religion it is 
surprising what great advancement the Oneidas have 
made and show in discernment, imitation, and capability 
to do as the whites. Very justly says one, in writing of 
the Indian : "He, as a rule, wants to advance, but he can- 
not do it alone. He must be aided. And as Bishop Ho- 
bart long ago pointed out, to do so we must give him 
not a gospel without civilization, nor civilization without 
the gospel. They must go together." 

Hand in hand the two have been followed up by their 
patient guides, to lead the progressive Indians step by 
step out from their former ignorance and darkness into 



THE ONEIDAS. 

the light of civilization and Christianity. And it is won- 
derful how marked is the change in character and appear- 
ance of many of the Oneidas at the present day. As a 
Nation they have proved themselves most worthy of the 
watchful care over them by one and another faithful 
Missionary, back to the time of the Rev. Samuel Kirk- 
land. Later, both before and after their establishment on 
the Reservation, the Church and her Missions extended 
a protecting care and supervision over a large majority 
of them. Their love for Bishop Hobart, was so sincere 
that their church, Hobart Church, stands as a monument 
to his blessed memory. 

It is no sinecure, however, for one alone to act as 
leader on such an extensive tract of land, and well see 
after their temporal as well as their spiritual welfare. 
We have touched but lightly upon the Missionary's va- 
rious tasks as priest, postmaster, lawyer, banker, and 
prime adviser. He must be patient under every and any 
interruption, even though his time is rarely his own. 
Often, too, he must drive miles and miles over rough 
roads and through dark woods, to visit the sick, or to 
administer comfort and consolation to some aged person 
unable to get to church. 

For the benefit of such persons, interesting Friday 
evening cottage services at different homes have been 
conducted in distant parts of the Reservation, and carried 
on with success, with often as many as twenty-five and 
thirty neighbors in attendance. They sing in their own 
language a hymn or two with their soft, sweet voices, 
and join in the prayers and other parts of the service 
with much reverence. Then, with a friendly hand-shake 
and thanks, they quietly disperse, and the Missionary 
takes his long return drive through the woods. It may 



CONCLUSION. 379 

be moonlight, or a dark night, but the horses seem to 
know the way home, and the Missionary has the consola- 
tion of knowing by the intent expression on the faces of 
his hearers, or a tear, perhaps, over some interpreted 
words, that he has reached the hearts of his Indian 
children. 

In writing of the Oneidas we have had no intention to 
eulogize them beyond their just deserts, but merely to 
relate facts as they have come to us. We are well aware 
that individuals among them are faulty, it may be morose 
and difficult to reach, but not any more so than weak sin- 
ful human nature everywhere. Says a writer: "We are 
apt to look upon the Indian as — well, as an Indian, what- 
ever that may mean to each of us. In our mental classi- 
fication we ignore personality, both tribal and individual, 
and group all red men together in one general census 
as cruel and treacherous. This is all wrong. There is 
as much difference between the tribes as between white 
nationalities, between individual Indians as between in- 
dividual white men. In accounting for these differ- 
ences of life and customs it is largely the old story 
of environment." It is a popular fancy that needs 
refuting, that the Indians are all alike ; that whatever 
is true about the Sioux or the Dakotas is equally 
true and applicable to the Apaches of Arizona or 
the Pueblos of New Mexico. The truth is, they differ 
among themselves in every respect ; in language, dress, 
mode of living, manners, and occupation. 

"The Indians of the Oneida Reservation," says their 
Missionary, "have long ago abandoned the blanket and 
feathers. The rudely constructed tepee is unknown. 
They live in houses, and although the majority of these 
are still log cabins, they are substantial and neat. Among 



3 8o THE ONEIDAS. 

the younger generation and the more prosperous, good 
frame buildings are now being erected, and these with 
verandahs, large windows, and cellars, are rapidly tak- 
ing the place of the little log dwellings, the great cracks 
of which were filled with hard, sun-baked clay, and 
where, in cramped quarters, the Indian family with diffi- 
culty made its home. 

"The exterior and interior of some of their modern 
houses will show that an elevating love of home adorn- 
ment is growing, that pictures and books are to be found 
in the 'best room,' while lawns, gardens, and shade-trees 
are to be seen about their homes. Nowhere will you 
find the blanket as the chief and only wearing apparel, 
for the Oneidas dress in white man's clothing. And 
although the older women prefer the more quiet dress 
and the becoming shawl or kerchief in place of some 
gaudy millinery, yet even here fashion has its followers 
among the younger generation, and on Sundays you 
would find our congregation wearing as fine clothes as 
the average white farmer. 

"One more popular fancy that needs correcting is that 
all the Indians of the country, some 250,000 in number, 
are paupers, lazy vagabonds, fattening at the public crib. 
As a matter of fact, probably less than one-fourth of them 
receive anything from Government, while the great mass 
are self-supporting. They subsist, either by the labor of 
their own hands, or upon that which they receive from 
the Government in payment for their lands. The only 
cash payment made to our people," he adds "is the 
division of $1,000 awarded them for services during the 
Revolutiinary War. Which amount divided among them, 
is the munificent sum of fifty cents per capita. They have 
always been known as a self-respecting, self-supporting 




Ail Oneida Modern Home 




Interior of an Indian Home, 1906 



CONCLUSION. 381 

people. They have never been the recipients of Govern- 
ment rations, horses, or other bounties." 

The last census of the Oneidas compared with those 
taken in the past, shows that, at least among this tribe, 
the story that the Indians are dying out has become as 
untrue as it is time-worn, for they have nearly doubled 
in number. Of the Oneidas' social and home life it is 
said : "The Oneida Indians stand very high. Their home 
life is almost irreproachable. They live with very few 
exceptions, strictly moral and right lives. There is no 
corruption or immorality on the Reservation to speak of. 
Any one who is at all loose in his or her way is at once 
completely ostracized by their neighbors." When we con- 
sider their history of the past when in the State of New 
York among the warlike Iroquois, themselves one of the 
Six Nations, and with them often as ready to use the 
tomahawk in defense of their rights, or to make con- 
quests of some fierce and intrusive tribe, we can but mar- 
vel over the changes time has wrought. 

For other tribes of Indians on their Western Reserva- 
tions, though apparently rude and warlike, we would be- 
speak a good word, struggling as they too are to reach out 
towards civilization. Those faithful missionary Bishops, 
Whipple and Hare, warm friends of the Indians, felt that 
they were well worthy of Christian care, and not only 
devoted much of their time to supervision over them, but 
from time to time wrote most interestingly of them. 
They were forced, however, to censure Government at 
that time pretty severely for its treatment of the Indians, 
and so make extenuating allowances for some of the bar- 
barous conflicts with the whites. 

The late General Harney, described as a "veteran fron- 
tier Indian craftsman" and who passed over fifty years 



382 THE ONEIDAS. 

on our Western borders in contact with the various 
tribes, speaks well of them, though, as he has said, "They 
were accused of treachery and every evil under the sun." 
In his report to Government, signed by himself, he af- 
firms : ''Naturally the Indian has many noble qualities. 
He is the very embodiment of courage. Indeed, at times 
he seems insensible to fear. If he is cruel and revenge- 
ful, it is because he is outlawed. Let civilized men be 
his companions, and he warms into life virtues of the 
rarest worth. Civilization has driven him from the home 
which he loved. It has often tortured and killed him, but 
it never could make a slave of him. So little accustomed 
to kindness from others, it may not be strange that he 
appears morose, and hesitates to confide in man. Proud 
himself, and yet conscious of the contempt of the white 
man, when suddenly roused to some new wrong the re- 
membrance of old ones still sting his soul, and he seems 
to become, as expressed by himself, 'blind with rage.' 
We must take the savage as we find him, or rather, as 
we have made him," continues General Harney. "We 
have spent two hundred years in creating the present 
state of things. If we can civilize in time, it will be a 
vast improvement over our doings of the past." And 
this many have seen the necessity of doing. Greater 
efforts, than at any time before, through wiser Govern- 
ment, are now being made in the right direction. The 
Indians, better understood, have less done to rouse them 
to seek for vengeance. And so in time all tribes, through 
their intercourse with the educated whites, will doubtless 
become more and more civilized, and so give up their 
rude and savage ways. The Indians of almost every tribe 
have a strong belief in some Great and Good Spirit as 
ever watching over to guide them. Says an Indian writer 



CONCLUSION. 383 

with some eloquence and truth: "Some cpenly proclaim 
that we are heartless, soulless, and godless ; but, 

" 'Within the recesses of the Native's soul, 
There is a secret place that God doth hold; 
And though the storms of life do war around, 
Yet still within His sacred image is found.' 

"And it is this image that noble Missionaries have 
found, and felt their labors among them were not in 
vain ; that there was a bond of brotherhood between the 
red man and the white for which they would feel an- 
swerable if they neglected the appeal, 'Go preach the Gos- 
pel to all Nations.' " 

Of the Oneidas, as we may have already said, "They 
stand in the first ranks of civilization in the judgment of 
the Indian Department at Washington" — a just tribute to 
those who have struggled hard to give up their old su- 
perstitions, their wigwams, blankets and paint, to con- 
form to the ways of the white man. And not the least 
praise is due to those who for the past century or more 
have had faith in the Indians as among God's created 
beings, and have willingly gone among them, to lead 
them gently towards the Light that has helped to redeem 
them. Aye, so willingly for the Oneidas, that two, or 
we might say three brave spirits, if we include the wife 
of one who equally gave herself in labors of love for the 
Indians in whom she took a deep interest to within the 
very last hour of her life, have laid down their lives in 
their midst and now rest, from choice, on Indian soil. 
And at the Last Great Day they will doubtless be found 
surrounded by those of the dusky tribe who, having laid 
down their bow and arrow for the ploughshare, have, 
through peace, won the crown. 

As we lay down our pen the earnest, heartfelt desire 



384 THE ONEIDAS. 

comes to us that the Oneidas may win a few true friends 
through this imperfect account of them as a noble race of 
Indians. If so, we shall feel repaid for our labor of 
love on behalf of one among the few tribes of Indians 
whose nationality dates back in direct line centuries ago, 
and who have up to the present time kept themselves 
intact from all other races, strictly abiding by their own 
tribal laws as to marriage and intermarriage. A pure 
American race worthy of all help in their efforts to reach 
to higher levels in art and literature such as some of the 
present and future generations will doubtless be found 
capable of attaining. May they, too, continue to be con- 
tent on their Reservation with its many improvements. 
And as the years roll round, may there be extended to 
them such help as they will need to brighten the way 
before them. And at all times may there be some faith- 
ful Missionary to point them toward their more endur- 
ing home in the Celestial City, where there will be no 
scorn of races, but where all red, black, or white, who 
have been true followers of Christ, will meet at the throne 
of God as His beloved children, the Great Spirit wor- 
shipped in different ways, but the same Heavenly Father, 
Chief, and Great High Priest over us all ! 



SUPPLEMENT. 3 8 5 



SUPPLEMENT. 

Since we have laid aside the pen most unexpected 
events have taken place at Oneida. The Rev. F. W. 
Merrill, the faithful Missionary for ten years over the 
Oneidas, never sparing himself when he could do aught 
for his Indian charge, was suddenly stricken in Septem- 
ber with severe illness. It was of such character and of 
such uncertain termination, that to the regret of hi? 
Bishop and of the people by whom he is greatly beloved, 
he felt it best to resign the work to which he has given 
his love and strength. 

Mr. Merrill's illness coincided with the completion of 
the New Parish House, entirely free from debt, and at the 
cost of $7,600. The building was dedicated by Bishop 
Grafton on the morning of October 15, 1906. Besides 
Bishop Grafton there were present the Rev. Canon 
Rogers of Grafton Hall, Fond du Lac, and the Rev. H. 
S. Foster of Green Bay. Mr. Merrill was unable to take 
any part in the Service of Dedication, but taken by two 
of his faithful Indian boys into the Church in a wheel 
chair, it was his joy and great pleasure to witness the 
impressive ceremonies in the Church and at the Parish 
House. It is said by one who was present : "The regret 
that the Rector was unable to take part in the Service 
was universal, and though the opening of this beautiful 
Parish House was an important and joyful occasion for 
the tribe, yet it was mingled with much sadness because 
of the illness and resignation of their long time faithful 



386 THE ONBIDAS. 

Missionary. He had accomplished a work that few 
would have undertaken, and perhaps no one else could 
have carried to so successful a conclusion. A complete 
reorganization of this large work among the Indians, 
with a development of the enterprises that centre about 
the Mission House, has been a herculean task. The 
recovery and maintenance of the old Parish School, the 
erection of the Sisters' House, and their faithful work in 
developing the lace industry, the building up a large 
and successful creamery business to the great advantage 
of the Indians, which will enable them to remain on the 
Reservation in the face of the close competition of their 
white neighbors and perpetuate their noble example of 
honesty and piety, the securing plans and raising funds 
for the erection of this magnificent Parish House, have 
left an enduring monument to the Missionary's years of 
faithful service'* 

On the day of the Dedication of this building the 
resignation of Mr. Merrill was announced by the Bishop, 
who at the same time gave notice of the appointment of 
his successor, the Rev. A. Parker Curtis. Mr. Curtis is 
another of Bishop Grafton's boys from the Church of 
the Advent, Boston, of which Bishop Grafton was Rector 
for many years. Mr. Curtis was also the first of his 
boys to be ordained by him after his Consecration as 
P.ishop of Fond du Lac, and nearly the whole of his min- 
i-try has been spent in his Diocese, though New York 
i- his native State. He is said to be an earnest, hard- 
working Priest, and it is hoped he will bring to his work 
among the Indians the same deep interest and zeal as 
characterized his predecessors. It is with humble but 
deep gratitude that the Rev. F. W. Merrill still continues 
ide among the beloved people of Oneida. Through 



SUPPLEMENT. 387 

the generosity of friends he has leased for a term of years 
one of the Indian allotments of land, and the little log 
cabin on it has been made habitable. Here he will be 
one with the people in their poverty of home and living, 
as it will be a modest income indeed that he will be able 
to earn from this little farm. 

Still another unexpected event has taken place, that we 
must record. The Oneidas' long-time Chief and inter- 
preter, their good and saintly Priest, the Rev. Cornelius 
Hill, ever ready to assist in the Church services, or on the 
Reservation among the sick and aged, has been called 
hence. He peacefully fell asleep shortly after his beloved 
friend and associate Priest, the Rev. F. W. Merrill had 
gone South. He found that the little "wigwam," could 
not be made comfortable for the winter for one in his 
weak condition of health, and so had accepted the kind 
invitation of friends to spend the winter in Florida. 
We append the following notice of the sad event of the 
death of the Rev. Cornelius Hill, sad for his people, but 
doubtless peace and joy to himself. 

"The last of the long line of chiefs of the Oneida Na- 
tion, a line reaching back into a misty antiquity, and the 
first Christian Priest of the same Nation, Cornelius Hill, 
died at Oneida on Friday, January 25, 1907, at the age of 
seventy-five years. Mr. Hill's chieftainship was of legal 
force until the Oneidas became American citizens, by an 
act that took effect only a few years ago ; and his influ- 
ence among his own people was almost that of a dictator, 
and always on the side of righteousness. He was made 
chief when fifteen years of age, and took his seat in 
council when eighteen, which was a great honor for so 
young an Indian. He bore the name of Chief Onan- 
gwat-go. For more than thirty years this chief was 



388 THE ONEIDAS. 

interpreter in the Church services making special use of 
his talents on Sunday, when he gave the congregation the 
Epistle, Gospel, Lessons, and sermon in the Oneida 
tongue. 

"For the past three winters he had found his duties 
very taxing to his strength. Early in December he be- 
gan to feel the effects of the cold, and it was with diffi- 
culty that he came on Sunday, December 16th, to perform 
his duties for the last time. It was the first Sunday of 
the present Missionary, the Rev. A. Parker Curtis, and 
Mr. Hill said he could not stay at home. The kind and 
loyal reception accorded to the present Missionary by the 
people is owing chiefly to Father Hill's words that day, 
and he will doubtless always feel a deep sense of grati- 
tude to that good man. It was a great grief to know 
that he could not be at Church on Christmas Day, the 
first time he had ever missed that service so especially 
dear to the Oneidas ; but his strengtn failed from day to 
day, and the last two weeks were a quiet waiting for the 
end. It came peacefully and without pain. He had 
lately received his Viaticum, and was ready. God rest 
his soul !" 

On the day of the funeral requiem celebrations of the 
Holy Eucharist were offered by the Rev. Geo. Shelton, 
Rev. J. M. Raker, and Rev. H. L. Burleson, the latter 
the acting General Secretary for the Board of Missions, 
at half past seven, eight, and nine o'clock. At eleven 
the Church was filled with between seven and eight hun- 
dred people. After the Burial Office, the Holy Eucharist 
was offered by the Missionary, the Rev. H. L. Burleson 
pri aching the sermon, which was interpreted by Brigman 
Cornelius, a choirman, who has begun to take the work 
nterpreter. Mr. Hill is the third Priest to die in the 



SUPPLEMENT. 389 

harness at Oneida, and with the Rev. E. A. Goodnough 
and the Rev. S. S. Burleson, lies on the high ridge over- 
topping the great Church where probably the largest con- 
gregation of Christian Indians in the country meet Sun- 
day after Sunday, for solemn worship of the Great Spirit, 
Rawennieo. Not only did his sweet nobility of charac- 
ter, his justice, wisdom, and high Christian example make 
Mr. Hill a tower of strength to the Mission, and give him 
a great influence over the Indians, but as their chief, his 
word was almost law. This power he always used for 
the good of individuals, the uplifting of his people, the 
cause of Christ, and the work of the Church. No In- 
dian probably has ever been in the position to do what he 
did. As Priest and Chief, he chose the highest ideal of 
both, and that the Oneidas to-day are the only wholly 
Christian tribe in the West, and the most advanced in. 
civilization, is owing largely to him. So close and tender 
w r as the friendship between the late Missionary and him- 
self that involuntarily the thought comes, since it was to 
be, how fitting it was that the resignation of the one and 
the death of the other should have taken place so near 
together. How sad the trial would have been for the 
Rector to miss his long time interpreter and loyal adviser. 
And we can imagine what it might have been for the 
feeble and aged Indian Priest to catch the words to inter- 
pret from unfamiliar lips. The following tribute to Onan- 
gwat-go has been sent to us from the Rev. F. W. Merrill : 



39 o THB O'NEIDAS. 



A TRIBUTE. 

"The good, godly, holy, and saintly man, Priest Hill, 
has departed this life." This was the postal message re- 
ceived by me on the day following the burial of the Rev. 
Cornelius Hill. With an earlier notification I should 
have braved the fatigue of travel, even to the retarding of 
my slowly gaining of health and strength in this genial 
clime of Florida. It would have been a privilege and 
great honor to have stood by his grave and shared the 
sorrow and mourning of the people for the loss of the 
"grand old man" of Oneida. I wonder if old Thomas 
John's voice was brave enough to "give out" the weird 
and grand old burial hymn of the Oneidas, which, more 
times than can be numbered, Cornelius Hill had presented 
for many and many of his own people? The departed 
Missionaries of Oneida have all been great men, but he 
was the greatest of all. His life has been linked with the 
earliest history of the Church in the North West. He 
had a boyish remembrance of Oneida's first Missionary, 
the Rev. Eleazer Williams. He knew well the next in 
order, Priest Davis. He was greatly attached to Bishop 
Kemper, by whom he was confirmed. He had been pres- 
ent at the Ordination at Nashotah of the Rev. F. R. Haff 
more than fifty years ago, and when we looked upon the 
peaceful face of that aged and early Missionary at Oneida, 
as we attended his burial so recently, Priest Hill said, 
"< Inly a very good man could look so good in death, and 



A TRIBUTE. 391 

he was always so good to us." Thirty-six years he had 
as his pastor and friend, the Rev. Edward Goodnough, 
of saintly memory, and whenever his name was mentioned 
by Father Hill, there was instinctively the softening of 
his voice in great tenderness of a loving memory. Of 
Father Burleson he so often said, "He was so good to 
us all in our sickness." Great, clever, smart, were not 
words in his vocabulary; it was always/'He was a good 
man," or the question, "Is he a good man?" For more 
than thirty years he has stood beside the Missionary to 
interpret to his people the Missionary's Sunday message. 
I am wondering what the congregation will to-day think 
when they cannot understand the "Man of God's" mes- 
sage to them because Father Hill is not there to say it 
in the only language which they understand. 

Very few Sundays in his life has he been absent from 
Church. I remember so well a Sunday when kept at 
home by sickness, many of the older people went to his 
home and said, "It didn't seem like Sunday without you 
at Church." How careful he was in his interpretation 
to give just the best he could of the Missionary's ser- 
mon. Oft-times, when with an excess of vigor the 
Missionary's voice would sound over loud, there would 
come his earnest, persuasive, gentle voice in interpreta- 
tion, that would soften anything like harshness that had 
come from the preacher. He was too honest to change 
an iota in the interpretation, even when most personal 
words were said about himself. One felt such perfect 
confidence that the poorest material would come to the 
people in an eloquence that we might all covet. 

For many years he was the organist and choir leader. 
The now splendid National Band owes its existence to 
him who was its early organizer and musician in it. On 



39 2 THE ONBIDAS. 

all public occasions he was the orator and interpreter of 
the day, and although we could not understand a word 
that he said, we were always fascinated by his wonder- 
fully expressive countenance and gestures. 

In material things he was ever ahead of his people. 
The earliest threshing-machine and other modern farm 
implements were brought into use through his influence 
and encouragement. He was seldom absent when there 
was a call for a day's work at the Church or on the Mis- 
sion farm, and it was he who directed the large number 
of willing workers who gladly gave their labor for the 
good of the Mission. I wonder how many yards of 
greens he must have wound for the decoration of the 
Church on the many Christian Festivals and other great 
days of the Church. He told me that this last Christmas 
was the only one that he could remember in his long 
life that he has missed, and he felt so sorry that he 
could not give the new Missionary his help. 

The Bishops and Clergy of the Diocese never knew 
the man as he was at home ; his great veneration for thei: 
Sacred Office made him appear shy and reserved as he 
met them at Council or other clerical gatherings. One 
had to live at Oneida to know that he was the real Rec- 
tor, the ruler of the Church and his people. He never 
for a moment forgot that he was a Chief of a great 
Nation, and I am sure that the people never forgot that 
he was the great Chief of their Nation. He ruled firmly, 
wisely, lovingly. I have seen the very set determination 
on his face when it was reported that some one had been 
guilty of grave sin or fault. "Such conduct cannot be 
tolerated," and in an instant there would come the soft- 
ening of expression and voice, "We must counsel with 
him, and lead him back to God and the Church." When- 



A TRIBUTE. 393 

ever any one was in trouble or sin, it was to him they 
went for comfort and advice. He was too loyal to give 
advice without first consulting with the Missionary. 
Over and over again he has brought such a person to 
me, and I always gave most careful attention to what he 
had to say, knowing well that in some way he would give 
just the opinion that would guide me in my decision in 
the matter. It was never with him, "I want," or "I 
think," always, "The people think," or "we think." Oh, 
rare humility ! such as is only given to the truly great. 
Under the careful instruction of the Rev. S. S. Burleson, 
Cornelius Hill was prepared for ordination to the Diacon- 
ate in the year 1895, but it was not until 1903 that he 
was advanced to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood. 
For more than a year previous to his ordination he, with 
others learned in their own language, gave much time 
and study to the translation of the Divine Liturgy into the 
Oneida language. For a month previous to his ordina- 
tion he came daily to the Church for instruction in cele- 
brating the Holy Communion, learning to perform with 
great reverence the manual acts of the solemn Service. 
His was a great example to those whose prejudices will 
not allow them to accept anything new in the ceremonies 
of the Church ; he had for years been brought up in "the 
old ways," yet so great was his reverence for all that is 
beautiful in worship (and Oneida is noted for the 
grandeur of its worship,) that he said after a very beau- 
tiful Service, "I felt this morning that heaven itself could 
have nothing more beautiful than our Service to-day." 

On the morning after his ordination, in the presence of 
his two Bishops, a number of the Clergy and a large con- 
gregation, he celebrated his first Eucharist, and gave the 



394 THE ONEWAS. 

first communion to the class just confirmed by Bishop 
Grafton. He had asked that I stand close to him all 
through the Service, for he said, "The words are so 
great and solemn that I fear I may not be able to say them 
all." No one but myself saw his glasses dimmed with 
the tears as they flowed down his face, yet with mar- 
velous control there was no break in his voice, although 
it never sounded so low and gentle. He is in no greater 
silence now than there was in the Church that morning 
when his people listened to words that they had never 
before heard in their own language in their Church. 
Can you imagine with what rapture an old Indian who 
with sixty years of faithful and regular attendance at the 
Altar heard for the first time a Priest of his own Nation 
saying the solemn words which he could now understand? 
After his ordination Father Hill constantly administered 
the Holy Communion to the aged and sick in their own 
homes whenever occasion demanded it, but he shrank 
from too frequent public celebration of the Holy Euchar- 
ist ; it always seemed hard for him to feel otherwise than 
awed with the solemnity of the Service. Distance was 
never too great or weather too severe for him to visit all 
who might require his services. His last visitation was 
made just before his fatal illness, to an old man who for 
many years had been a "backslider," and his report was 
"that man is so penitent, so glad to get back to God." I 
might write on indefinitely, and then only a fragment 
would be told of the wonderful life of this holy and great 
man of Oneida. God rest his dear soul. 

There have been many appeals come from Oneida. 
There is an urgent one now, that every friend of Oneida 
will make most earnest prayers that to some young 
Oneida there will be given the vocation to the Ministry, 



A TRIBUTE. 395 

so that this great Christian Nation may have its repre- 
sentative in the Sacred Ministry of the Church. 

F. W. Merrill, 
Late Missionary at Oneida. 
Bagdad, Florida, Sexagesima Sunday, 1907. 



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